Gone and Back Again
by Sassafrass86
Summary: I haven't abandoned you! After 2 months, I'm finally back with a new chapter! Chap 12--Weiss and Sydney try to formulate a plan to help Vaughn escape. However, Vaughn gets unexpected help from Sark. But why?
1. Gone...

**Gone and Back Again **

** Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from _Alias_. They belong to ABC and J.J. Abrams. I own only the characters that have not appeared on _Alias_ and none of my storylines will be used in upcoming episodes. **

** Spoilers: Maybe… **

** A/N: This is my first _Alias_ fan fiction and I apologize if some of my facts are out of place. **

***~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* **

**Sydney Bristow warily trudged through the door of her home. She was hoping that Francie wouldn't be around that evening.**

**"Francie, are you here?" Sydney called out, pulling off her coat and dropping it on the floor. When she didn't hear a reply, she plopped herself down on the couch and sighed.**

** **

**_*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* _**

**_I wake up in the morning _**

**_ Put on my face _**

**_ The one that's gonna get me _**

**_ Through another day _**

**_ Doesn't really matter _**

**_ How I feel inside _**

**_ This life is like a game sometimes _**

**_*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*_ **

** Fourteen days. It had been exactly fourteen days since Sydney had left Taipei and her mother. Fourteen days since Vaughn had…since Vaughn had died. Sydney shuddered at her last thought. She closed her eyes and tried to think of something happy. Again, she thought of Vaughn. Her bottom lip began to tremble and she sniffled.**

** **

**_*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* _**

**_Then you came around me _**

**_ The walls just disappeared _**

**_ Nothing to surround me _**

**_ Keep me from my fears _**

**_ I'm unprotected _**

**_ See how I've opened up _**

**_ You've made me trust _**

**_ *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*_ **

** She just couldn't believe that he was gone. She blamed herself, of course. After all, she had led him to certain death. What had she been thinking? He had been her friend, her confidante, her guardian angel, her love…love? Yes, Sydney thought to herself, I loved him. She only regretted that she realized it now when it was too late. But no…she'd always known…it was always there in the back of her mind. She just never let herself release the feeling for the knowledge of what consequences it would bring.**

** She lay her head down on the armrest and began to lightly cry. The ringing of the phone, however, caused her to sit back up again. As the phone continued to ring, Sydney willed it to stop. When it didn't, she forced herself to gain composure. She took a few deep breaths and picked up of the phone.**

**"Hello?" she answered in an inaudible, raspy voice. She cleared her throat and asked again, clearly, "Hello?"**

**"Joey's Pizza?" a voice asked. Vaughn's voice. **

**Sydney blinked at the question before fully comprehending it. A smile slowly crept across her face as she replied before hanging up, "Wrong number." **

** She let out a half laugh and a half sigh of happiness, shock, and relief. She quickly stood up, grabbed her dropped coat, and bolted out the door. When she saw the taxi waiting outside her door, her smile widened. She ran to the car and jumped into the backseat. **

** **

**_*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* _**

**_ I've never felt like this before _**

**_ I'm naked around you _**

**_ Does it show? _**

**_ You see right though me _**

**_ And I can't hide _**

**_ I'm naked around you _**

**_ And it feels so right _**

**_ *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*_ **

** When the car pulled up in front of the familiar warehouse, Sydney hesitated before climbing out of the car. She though about what she would say while thousands of emotions and questions ran through her mind. She halted abruptly when she saw him. His back was turned toward her and it was one of the few times he wasn't wearing a suit. She walked closer to him, very well aware that the clicking of her heels had already given away her presence. She put her hand on his shoulder and he turned.**

** His beautiful green eyes were sparkling with tears of joy. Joy of seeing Sydney again, of course. She frowned when she saw the malicious, purple bruise surrounding his left eye. She touched the bruise only slightly, but it was enough to make Vaughn wince. She pulled away, but returned her hand to his face, this time lightly brushing his roughly bruised cheek.**

** "Oh, God," she whispered, lowering her head and taking a tiny step back.**

** He gave her a small smile. **

** "You know," she said a little louder, "I never thought I'd be so happy to hear the words 'Joey's Pizza' in my life." **

** He chuckled lightly. Sydney shook her head. **

** "Are you okay?" she asked. **

** Vaughn cocked his head. "It depends on what you're definition of 'okay' is." **

** He inadvertently clutched his stomach. Sydney noticed his motion, but decided not to pursue the matter at that moment. **

** "God, Vaughn, I thought you were…" **

** "I know," he interrupted, his voice soft, "I thought I was, too." **

** "How?" **

** "I'll tell you all about it later," he promised. "What's important now is that I'm here with you and I get to look at you again." **

** Sydney tried to hold back her tears, and before she could stop herself, she moved closer to her handler and gave him a loose hug. He put his head down on her shoulder and rubbed her back. She tightened her hold, but let go when she heard him groan. She stepped away again and looked up at him. **

** "What's wrong?"**

** "Uh, nothing," Vaughn replied, "it's just a little sore." **

** Sydney raised her eyebrows, not believing his statement. **

** Seeing her doubtful expression, he added, "Really, Sydney, I'm fine. A doctor checked me out. You don't have to worry." **

** She bit her lip and relented. "Okay…well, have you talked to Devlin yet?" **

** Vaughn shook his head. "No, I just got back to L.A. yesterday. But Devlin knows I'm back. Weiss told him. I'll probably be meeting with him tomorrow." **

** "So…you and Weiss are on speaking terms?" Sydney asked tentatively. **

** Vaughn shrugged. "I guess we should start. Considering what he did." **

** Sydney gave him a questioning look. **

** "Later, Sydney, I promise," he assured her. He shrugged again. "Anyway, I'm just glad you're okay. I called your place about fifty thousand times, but uh…nobody answered. I was getting worried." **

** "Yeah, well, I wasn't exactly hanging around the phone waiting for your call," she joked. "I mean, I've been thinking you were dead for two weeks. And hey, why didn't you just beep me?" **

** "I wanted to hear your voice," he answered sincerely. "Even if it was just two little words." **

** She smiled, deeply touched at his words. **

** "So…where were you all day?" Vaughn jokingly interrogated. **

** "I was at Will's," she replied quietly. **

** "Oh," he murmured, his tone dropping considerably. "Uh, so how is Tippin, anyway?" **

** "Well, we got him out. That's the important thing. But I guess he's doing okay, especially considering all that he's been through." **

** Vaughn nodded as he listened. **

** "He's still trying to digest all of this, though. He's not really sure what he's going to do yet, but…" she trailed. **

** "But what?" **

** "Well, he has definitely made the decision that he doesn't want to join the protection program, which I totally understand…but I think he's seriously considering joining the CIA." **

** Vaughn sighed to himself. "And you have a problem with that?" **

** Sydney began to pace. "Well, yes…think about it, Vaughn. One minute, he's just a guy doing his job, thinking everything's fine, and the next, he finds out that I've been lying right to his face every time I talked to him and then he's in a strange place getting tortured by men who actually gain pleasure from causing people pain!" **

** Vaughn remained quiet for a moment while Sydney stopped and catch her breath. He bit his lip. **

**"Uh, yeah, I think I met those people," he said, trying to take her mind off of Will, but immediately realizing his mistake. **

** Sydney looked into the pained eyes of her friend. "What did that bitch do to you, Vaughn?" **

** He tried to look her in the eye, but quickly averted his gaze from her worried stare. **

** "Uh, well…" he started. **

***~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* **

** _ FLASHBACK_ **

** "Wake up, Mr. Vaughn." **

**Vaughn heard the voice call out to him, but he didn't reply. His clothes were drenched, he was freezing, he was sore all over, and his throat was burning. He could feel cold, hard metal beneath him and tried to remember what had happened. He didn't open his eyes, for he was afraid of where he might find himself and who he would be looking at.**

** "Mr. Vaughn, I don't have all day, so do us both a favor and _open your eyes_," the voice ordered, emphasizing the last three words. **

**He decided to obey and his eyelids flew open. He blinked a few times to clear his vision. He tried to sit up, but was pulled back. He looked to his side to see himself strapped to a metal bed. He looked around at his surroundings. He was in a dark, dirty room with a large, metal door, a metal table off to the side, and a metal tray covered with a cloth on top of the table. Metal, metal, metal, he thought to himself. He forced himself back to reality and looked up to see the owner of the voice looking down at him and wearing a look of amusement on her face. Vaughn furrowed his eyebrows. This woman's face somehow looked familiar…**

** "Welcome back to the real world, Mr. Vaughn," she said.**

** Vaughn opened his mouth to speak, but his parched throat prevented it. **

** She smiled. "What's wrong, agent? Swallow something you shouldn't have?" **

** He fought the intense burning feeling in his throat to say, "You…you're Sydney's mother." **

** It was more of a statement than a question, but as a question is how the woman chose to interpret it. **

** "Oh, aren't you such the smart young man? Yes, Mr. Vaughn, I am Sydney's mother. But you must know that I have long since left my alias of Laura Bristow behind. I now go by Irina Derevko." **

** "You…you bitch," Vaughn spat angrily. **

** Irina's smile, which greatly resembled Sydney's, immediately melted into a frown. "Come again?" **

** "You killed my father." **

** "Yes, yes, I did, and if you don't watch that mouth of yours, you'll soon suffer the same fate," she threatened. She smirked when Vaughn didn't reply. She sighed, almost blissfully. "That would be ironic, wouldn't it? Father and son share the same death by the same person." **

** Vaughn shot daggers at her with his eyes but she didn't notice. **

** "You know," she continued, "I was the last one to talk to your father before I killed him. Well, that's redundant, because…oh, you're an intelligent boy; you know what I'm saying. Like I was saying, we had a nice chat, William and I. Although it must not have been so pleasant for him because I was holding him at gunpoint and he was begging for his life." **

** Vaughn cringed at the carefree way Irina was speaking about his father's death…his murder. **

** "Do you want to know what he was talking about? His family." She started to pace around his "bed" and continued, "Yes, he told me about his wife and how much he cared for her…how much she meant to him…how much she needed him and vice versa. It was quite heartwarming. Oh, and is son. If I recall, your name is Michael, correct?" **

** Vaughn nodded, though he wasn't quite sure why. **

** "Right, right…you were, what, seven years old?" **

** "Eight," he corrected bitterly. **

** "Oh, that's right…eight-year-old Michael. Between you and me, your father's pleas actually made me feel quite guilty later." **

** "Please stop," Vaughn whispered. **

** "He wanted to see his family one last time, I'm sure," Irina said, ignoring Vaughn completely. "I suppose I would, too. But do you want to hear the funny part, Michael? I almost let him go. In the end, I decided not to, obviously, but I was damn close. But an order is an order, after all. So I killed him." **

** "Damn it, stop," Vaughn urged. **

** "I shot him right here," she told him harshly, gesturing toward the center of her forehead. "Right in the middle of his head. It was quite gruesome, but…" **

** "_SHUT UP!_" Vaughn exclaimed loudly. **

** Irina stopped. She looked down at him as a look of anger spread across her face. She signaled for someone to come in. **

** "It's quite a shame, Mr. Vaughn, that my daughter formed such a fond attachment to you," Irina commented, "because unfortunately, she'll never have the chance to see you again." **

** She looked up at the two large men who had entered the room. Vaughn could tell that one of them was holding something, but he couldn't quite make out what it was from his position. **

** "You know what to do," Irina murmured to them. Both men nodded in reply. **

** "Wha…what are you doing?" Vaughn asked nervously. **

** "Oh, just asking some question," she replied, unbuckling the restraints holding Vaughn's upper body down. She pulled the dazed and confused man into a sitting position. She nodded her head toward the direction of the men. "If you answer my questions, no harm will come to you. Now, I don't want to have to hurt you, I really don't. But if that's what it takes to get what I want, I'll have it done. So tell me, Michael…who is the SD-6 mole?" **

**Vaughn was caught off-guard at the question, but he tried not to show his surprise. "What mole?" he replied.**

** Irina pursed her lips. "There's no time for games, Mr. Vaughn. Now, I'll ask you again: who is the SD-6 mole?" **

** "I have no idea what you're talking about," he answered. **

** "Mr. Vaughn," she said coldly, but calmly, "my patience is running thin. I'm going to give you one more chance. Tell me which agent is the SD-6 mole or I guarantee that you will be sorry." **

**Vaughn shivered. Whether it was from his cold, wet clothes or Irina's tone, he didn't know, but he sure as hell wasn't going to show this woman that she intimidated him.**

** "There is no SD-6 mole," Vaughn told her, raising his chin defiantly. **

** She sighed sadly. "Fine, have it your way," she said, snapping her fingers and moving off to the side. **

**The two men rushed toward him and unbuckled the rest of Vaughn's restraints. One of them roughly grabbed him and pulled him off the table. The other, who was holding a long, iron bar, Vaughn could now see, slowly and threateningly made his way around the bed and toward the fearful agent.**

** Vaughn's eyes widened as the realization that he could very well be killed right then and there came over him. As the man with the iron bar made contact with Vaughn's abdomen, he cried out in pain. He felt another blow…and another…and another…and another…he began to lose track of how many times he was being hit. He felt hot tears run down his face and with every blow, he slumped closer to the floor. Finally, when he wasn't able to stand, the man holding him up threw him to the floor. Before Vaughn blocked out, he could hear the light chuckling of Irina…**

** Every day they pulled another way of torture out of their sleeves. Whether it was a beating, an injection, or actually cutting into his skin with a scalpel, each time they came into the room, Vaughn had been sure he was going to die. He didn't know how he was still standing. He knew that he shouldn't be able to. Quite frankly, he didn't even know how he had survived twelve days of endless pain. He did know, however, that somewhere during that week, he had lost practically all hope of ever leaving Taipei. That is, until…**

_** **_**_END FLASHBACK_ **

***~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* **

**"Nothing," he lied. "They, uh…they didn't do anything too horrible." He shook his head in an attempt to drive the thoughts and memories of his torture in Taipei away. Unfortunately, he failed miserably. **

** "Vaughn?" Sydney prodded, gently laying her hand on his arm. **

** "I'm fine," he said, faltering. **

** "Are you sure?" **

**No! Vaughn's mind cried out. He wanted to tell her everything. He wanted to tell her how much emotion and physical trauma these people had caused him. He wanted to cry on shoulder and spill out his feelings. But he couldn't. He didn't want to be yet another burden in her over-hectic life. He wasn't her responsibility…she was his. And he most definitely didn't have the heart to tell her how much pain her mother had thrown upon him. She shouldn't have to hear again what a monster her mother truly was.**

**"Yeah, I'm sure," he replied. **

** "I'm sorry," she said suddenly. **

** Vaughn raised an eyebrow. "For what?" **

** "Because of me, you almost drowned." **

** Vaughn shook his head vigorously. "No! No, Sydney, don't talk like that. Don't do this to yourself…don't blame yourself." **

** Tears rolled down her cheek. "I don't know who else to blame," she whispered meekly. **

** Vaughn blinked. He bit his lip and told her, "Blame me, Sydney. It was my own fault that I went down there in the first place. Blame me." **

** He pulled her into another hug, this time ignoring the extreme pain in his ribs. **

***~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* **

**_ Trying to remember _**

**_ Why I was afraid _**

**_ To be myself around you _**

**_ And let the covers fall away _**

**_ Guess I never had someone like you _**

**_ To help me fit _**

**_ In my skin _ **

** *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* **

** "Vaughn?" she whispered into his ear.**

**"Hmm?" **

** "Who brought you back from Taipei?" **

** Vaughn hesitated. He wasn't supposed to tell her. He was supposed to keep it a secret until it was seen fit to let her know…but he had already lied to her enough that night. **

** "Your father," he replied. "And Weiss." **

** She pulled away from him and looked at him in surprise. **

** "What?" **

** Vaughn nodded. "He didn't want me to tell you. I guess he wanted to tell you himself…........" **

** "Why didn't he ask me to help?" she asked, beginning to get upset. **

** "I…I don't know…" Vaughn stammered. **

** Her expression softened. She gave him a half smile. "I'm sorry, it's just…........" **

** "It's okay," he said, cutting her off. "I understand." **

**A look of seriousness overcame her face. She stared deeply into his eyes. He tried to control the heavy breathing he knew was coming. **

** "Is something wrong?" he asked. **

** Sydney took a deep breath. "Um, this is kind of hard for me to say." **

** Vaughn started to become concerned. "What?" **

**"Vaughn, I realized something while…......well, I realized that I really and truly…" **

**RING! RING! RING! **

** They were interrupted by Sydney's cell phone. Both she and Vaughn quietly cursed to themselves. She grabbed her phone in frustration and answered it. **

** "What?" she demanded. **

** She sighed. "No, Will, I'll………yes, I _am_ busy………I don't think you understand, I'm in the middle of………no………no, I can't, I………fine………fine, I'll be there. Will, I'll………_yes_, I'll be there, okay? Bye." **

**She groaned in frustration and gave Vaughn an apologetic look.**

** Vaughn gave her a smile and nodded in understanding. "You should go. It sounds important." **

** She smiled back at him gratefully. "I am so sorry." **

** He waved his hand through the air. "Hey, it's fine. We can continue this later." **

** She sighed happily and studied his bruised face. "God, I'm so glad you're alive. And I'm glad that I got to see you tonight." **

** Vaughn reached out for her hand and she returned it. He lifted it to his stitched lips and kissed it. He didn't notice, but Sydney blushed immensely. "I'm glad, too, Sydney," he said to her. "You have no idea." **

** On impulse, Sydney suddenly leaned forward and kissed Vaughn on the cheek. This time, it was his turn to blush. She realized what she did and began to feel embarrassed. She bit her lip, and took quick glances at the ground. **

** "Uh, I'll see you later," she said quickly. She gave his hand a last squeeze, gave him another smile, and turned to walk out of the warehouse. **

***~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* **

** I've never felt like this before **

** I'm naked around you **

** Does it show? **

** You see right through me **

**And I can't hide**

**I'm naked around you **

** And it feels so right **

** © Avril Lavigne **

** "Naked" **

** Arista Records **

** Let Go, 2002 **

***~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* **


	2. Back Again

Gone and Back Again  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Alias. They belong to ABC and J.J. Abrams. I own only the characters that have not appeared on Alias and none of my storylines will be used in upcoming episodes.  
  
Spoilers: Maybe.  
  
A/N: This chapter shows five different scenarios in which either Sydney or Vaughn are having a conversation with another person. You will read the following conversations in this order: Vaughn and Devlin, Sydney and Jack, Vaughn, and Jessica Kieran, Vaughn and Weiss, and Sydney and Weiss.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Morning  
  
Vaughn & Devlin  
  
  
  
Vaughn took a deep breath as he made his way to Devlin's office. He stopped at Devlin's door and knocked, ignoring the faces of shock his fellow agents were shooting at him. Shock of seeing him alive, that is.  
  
"Come in," Devlin called.  
  
Vaughn bit his lip nervously and pushed open the door. "Good morning, sir," he said to his boss.  
  
"Agent Vaughn, glad to see you're alive and well," Devlin replied.  
  
'I beg to differ,' Vaughn thought to himself. "Thank you."  
  
"Sit down, agent, sit down," Devlin said, gesturing to a chair in front of his desk.  
  
Vaughn complied and took a seat. Devlin looked him over a few times and Vaughn began to feel more and more uneasy.  
  
"So you went to Taipei to assist Agent Bristow with a mission," Devlin said out loud.  
  
"Uh, yes, sir," Vaughn replied quietly.  
  
Devlin shook his head. "What in God's name is wrong with you?"  
  
Vaughn winced at his angry, but calm tone. Devlin stood up and began to pace.  
  
"You endangered the entire mission, the agents involved, and you practically dug your own grave!"  
  
He stopped when he was directly to Vaughn's left and glared down at him for a moment. Devlin's expression then softened. He went back to his own chair, sat down, and sighed.  
  
"Though, if I may say, I was quite relieved to hear from Agent Weiss that you weren't dead," he admitted.  
  
Vaughn raised his eyebrows. "Sir?"  
  
"You're a wonderful agent, Vaughn. You're one of my best, in fact, and I'd hate to lose you. You're quite intelligent, though not in this case, and I know there's many a' folk around here that trust you."  
  
Vaughn fought the urge to smile at the compliment.  
  
"But after this stunt you've pulled, as well as all the others," Devlin continued, "I should terminate you as Sydney Bristow's handler permanently."  
  
Vaughn glanced at the floor. "I know, sir."  
  
"However," Devlin said, slowly, "it's a well known fact that Agent Bristow will refuse to work with anyone but you and her father will completely agree with her. So I am allowing you to continue your job as her handler."  
  
Vaughn smiled widely. "Sir, I...I don't know what to say..."  
  
"I'm not finished, Agent Vaughn."  
  
"I'm sorry, sir."  
  
"There are going to be consequences, of course. Needless to say, you will be closely supervised for the next few months. I am also requiring you to go to Crisis Management meetings at least three times a week until I see fit."  
  
Vaughn's eyes widened. "Sir, really, I don't need Crisis Management...I mean, Doctor Barnett and I...we don't exactly..."  
  
"Doctor Barnett is going to be away for awhile. Her substitute is one Dr. Jessica Kieran. She's quite the lovely young woman. And quite frankly, Agent Vaughn, I think these meetings will do you good. Anyone who looks at you will realize that you've been through hell and back in a very short time. You'll be doing yourself a favor by talking to Dr. Kieran. Besides, you must realize that these are quite the small so-called punishments I'm giving you compared to what you should be receiving."  
  
Vaughn groaned to himself. "Yes, sir, I understand."  
  
"Good. Now, you're first meeting with Dr. Kieran will be after we're down here, which is right about now. She'll be expecting you."  
  
"Yes, sir," Vaughn said again, standing up.  
  
Devlin nodded and stood up as well. He held out his hand to his agent and Vaughn took it.  
  
"I will speak with you again later. Welcome back, Agent Vaughn."  
  
"Thank you, sir. Have a good day," Vaughn replied as he dropped his hand to his sighed, turned, and walked out of Devlin's office.  
  
He shut the door behind him and started walking toward the Crisis Management room. He averted his eyes from all the curious stares of the other people in the room, not daring to look up at them. He quickened his pace and felt himself bump into someone. He looked up to find himself looking at the face of Jack Bristow.  
  
"Oh, uh, I'm...I'm sorry, Jack, I didn't see you," Vaughn said.  
  
"It's fine, Agent Vaughn," Jack assured him. "Where are you going in such a hurry?"  
  
"Oh, well...Crisis Management," Vaughn replied, lowering his voice.  
  
"Voluntarily?" Jack asked.  
  
"Absolutely not. Mr. Devlin has required me to attend these meetings three times a week," he explained.  
  
"I see. You know, Agent Vaughn, these sessions might very well help you."  
  
Vaughn sighed. "I don't need any help. I'm fine."  
  
Jack cast a very doubtful look at him.  
  
"Really, I don't." Vaughn said again.  
  
Jack didn't say anything.  
  
"I don't," Vaughn said, raising his voice defiantly.  
  
Jack shrugged. "Alright, then."  
  
Vaughn blinked. "Okay...well, I should get going."  
  
Jack nodded. "Good luck, Agent Vaughn," he said as he walked away.  
  
Vaughn looked after him for a moment before shaking his head and walking the other direction.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
  
  
  
Afternoon  
  
  
  
  
  
Sydney & Jack  
  
  
  
Credit Dauphine  
  
  
  
"Dad," Sydney called to her father as he walked by.  
  
He stopped and turned to face her. "Yes, Sydney?"  
  
"Dad, I have to talk to you," she said, her eyes pleading with him.  
  
Jack furrowed his eyebrows and nodded. "Alright."  
  
They walked to an empty area in another room and Sydney looked at him.  
  
"What's the matter, Sydney?" Jack asked.  
  
"You know, Vaughn's back in L.A.," she told him.  
  
Jack nodded. "Yes, I know, I ran into him just a little while ago."  
  
Sydney bit her lip. "Yeah, I saw him last night."  
  
"Well, I'm glad your mind was put to ease about him," he replied.  
  
"Actually, he didn't seem like he was doing too well."  
  
"Oh, no?"  
  
"No...I mean, you saw him, so you've seen his face.the bruises...and he's got bruised ribs, if not broken..."  
  
"He's a strong young man, Sydney. I'm sure he'll be fine."  
  
"Do you have any idea what happened to him, Dad?"  
  
"How would I?"  
  
Sydney sighed. She couldn't play around anymore. "I know you got him out of Taipei."  
  
Jack raised his eyebrows. "Did Agent Vaughn inform you of that?"  
  
Sydney hesitated. "No," she lied, "I figured it out for myself."  
  
Jack eyed her carefully.  
  
"Why didn't you come to me?" Sydney asked. "Why did you ask Weiss to help you?"  
  
Jack paused. "We shouldn't discuss this here..."  
  
"Don't give me that bull," Sydney snapped.  
  
Jack looked at her in surprise. "Sydney, I know you care for him, and..."  
  
"Weiss cares about him, too, Dad."  
  
"You know what I mean, Sydney," he said, looking at her with hard eyes.  
  
She cowered for a moment, but quickly recovered. "I wouldn't let my caring for him interfere with helping him and you know it."  
  
"Sydney, listen.you were the first person to come to my mind to recruit to rescue Agent Vaughn. But with your friend, Mr. Tippin, and with discovering that 'The Man' is your mother...I figured you needed a rest from everything."  
  
She gazed at him in silence. She could feel her eyes welling up with tears, but tried to hold them back.  
  
"To tell you the truth, if Agent Weiss's name hadn't somehow popped into my head at the last minute, I would have gotten you to go with me. Of course, that would be impossible because of the risk that you might be re-captured by your mother."  
  
She remained silent for another moment. She sniffled and before she knew it, tears were flowing freely down her face. "Thank you, daddy," she whispered.  
  
Jack's expression melted into one of sympathy. "Well, you know, I didn't do it for you," he said, a hint of a smile forming on his face.  
  
Sydney let out a short laugh. "I know, but...thank you. So tell me...why did you do it then?"  
  
"Well, obviously because I wasn't going to just let him die. He's a very smart man and one of the CIA's best agents. And quite frankly, I'm becoming quite fond of him."  
  
She laughed again. "How did you even know he was still alive?"  
  
Jack shot her a sly look. "That's just another subject to add to the list of thigns I just cannot tell you."  
  
Sydney shook her head. "You are amazing."  
  
Jack blinked. "Well, you're not so bad yourself."  
  
She smiled. Jack looked at his watch and looked back at his daughter. "We'd better get back in. We have a meeting with Sloane."  
  
Sydney nodded in agreement. "Yeah, we should."  
  
"I will talk with you later, Sydney."  
  
"Okay, Dad," she replied.  
  
"Give my regard to Agent Vaughn when you see him again," Jack said as he began to walk away.  
  
"I will," she promised.  
  
"See you inside," he called behind his shoulder as he walked through the door and back to SD-6.  
  
Sydney sighed. Her father, the hero.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
  
Vaughn & Kieran  
  
  
  
  
  
Vaughn closed his eyes before knocking on the Crisis Management door. He heard a faint voice call, "Come on in."  
  
He reached for the doorknob and pushed the door open.  
  
"Good morning, Agent Vaughn," a smiling young woman greeted him.  
  
She was sitting down in a chair in front of the couch and holding a notepad and pen. She looked around twenty-five and she had beautiful, long blonde hair and sparkling emerald eyes. Vaughn gave her a fake smile.  
  
"Good morning," he replied, walking into the room and shutting the door behind him.  
  
"My name is Jessica Kieran. I'm sure Mr. Devlin has informed you that I am substituting for Doctor Barnett while she is away."  
  
Vaughn nodded and looked around the room uncomfortably.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry, Agent Vaughn! Please, take a load off," Kieran exclaimed, gesturing to the couch.  
  
Vaughn walked over to it and dropped himself down onto the soft, cushy seat.  
  
"So, Agent Vaughn," she said, "as I understand it..."  
  
"Okay, um...Ms. Kieran," Vaughn began.  
  
"Doctor," she corrected.  
  
Vaughn inaudibly sighed. "Doctor Kieran, let's just cut the crap, alright? Yes, I went to Taipei to assist Agent Sydney Bristow upon her request, yes, I almost died drowning, and yes, I was tortured for thirteen days because I didn't answer questions that would destroy everything the CIA has worked for. But I do not need Crisis Management. I am only here because Mr. Devlin has ordered it upon me."  
  
Jessica Kieran gazed at the obviously troubled agent. "Well, that's all fine and good, Agent Vaughn, but as you said: Mr. Devlin required you to meet with me three times every week until he says otherwise. So, you can either share with me the things that are upsetting you, or we can both sit here in silence for an hour and a half."  
  
Vaughn raised an eyebrow and averted his eyes from Jessica's. "Alright then," he said quietly. "What do you want to know?"  
  
Jessica nodded in satisfaction. "Remember, Agent Vaughn, everything you say in this office stays in this office. It will all be kept completely confidential."  
  
Vaughn nodded to acknowledge her statement.  
  
"Okay," Kieran said kindly, "let's get started..."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
  
  
  
Evening  
  
Vaughn & Weiss  
  
  
  
As soon as Vaughn entered his office, he walked directly to his chair and sat down with a comfortable sigh, lifting his feet onto his desk. It had been a long day and although the meeting with Kieran hadn't necessarily been that bad, he was utterly exhausted. He closed his eyes and was just starting to drift off.until a knock at the door shocked him awake. He sat up and looked at a familiar face peeking into his office.  
  
"Oh, hey, Eric," Vaughn greeted, stretching his arms. "Come on in."  
  
"Thanks," Weiss replied, walking in and closing the door. "You settling back in okay?"  
  
Vaughn tilted his head. "I don't know, really...I mean, everything around here is...the same. But it's different. You know what I mean?"  
  
Weiss smiled. "Yeah, I think I do."  
  
"I don't know...everybody's looking at me weird and whispering about me," he continued, "it's just a little nerve-wracking."  
  
"And annoying?"  
  
"And annoying," Vaughn agreed with a smile. "Did I thank you?"  
  
Weiss raised his eyebrows. "For what?"  
  
Vaughn let out a short laugh. "Give me a break."  
  
"Listen, buddy, I...I know that things between us are...unsettled. I just want you to know how sorry I am."  
  
"Eric, look, I'm...I'm not upset with you...not anymore."  
  
"Yeah, but, I..."  
  
"Eric," Vaughn pleaded, "please let it go."  
  
Weiss rolled his eyes. "Fine...but you never have to thank me for anything."  
  
"Oh, come on, man...you saved my life! God, you...you put aside our differences and you made protocol kiss your ass!"  
  
Weiss laughed out loud. "Well, I know you would've done the same for me."  
  
"Damn straight," Vaughn agreed.  
  
Weiss suddenly put on a serious face and sat down. "Listen, Mike, you're my best friend. I should've screwed protocol the first time around. I destroyed our friendship so I wouldn't lose my job."  
  
Vaughn looked down at his hands. "You did what you had to do."  
  
Weiss bit his lip and nodded slowly. He took a breath. "So, was Devlin pissed?"  
  
Vaughn laughed. "Well, kind of. It was weird...I mean, he's letting me stay. My ass should be out of here right now, but for some reason I'm being allowed to get my job back as Sydney's handler...I don't know. I have no clue what's going on and my head is spinning so much that I'm not going to try and figure it out. Anyway, he's making me go to Crisis Management and I'm going to be watched like a hawk."  
  
"Crisis Management again?"  
  
"Well, it's not as bad as the last time. I mean, I'm sure you know that Barnett's not around, but the new doc, Jessica Kieran, is pretty okay."  
  
"Yeah, I know that she's replacing Barnett for awhile, but I haven't met her. Is she hot?"  
  
Vaughn rolled his eyes. "Shut up, man."  
  
Weiss and Vaughn shared a laugh.  
  
"Actually," Vaughn continued, "I'm surprised that my office wasn't cleared out."  
  
"Oh, uh...I kind of asked Devlin if I could clean it out myself, but I couldn't bring myself to do it."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
Weiss shrugged. "I dunno...I guess I just didn't want to accept that fact that you were gone. Of course, when Jack told me you were alive...man, was I relieved."  
  
Vaughn smiled. "Hey, there's actually something I was wondering...why did Jack go to you in the first place?"  
  
"Who knows? Maybe he thought I wasn't as emotionally involved as Sydney."  
  
Vaughn raised an eyebrow at that, but didn't say anything.  
  
"Mike, are...are you going to be okay?" Weiss asked his friend.  
  
Vaughn thought for a moment. "I don't know," he replied truthfully.  
  
"I mean, I look at you and it scares me," Weiss admitted. "It's obvious that you're not the same...and why should you be? After all you've been through, you should be different."  
  
Vaughn didn't know what to say. What could he say? Eric was his friend...and that's what Vaughn needed at that moment.  
  
"It hurt, Eric," he whispered.  
  
Weiss looked at him carefully with a concerned expression. "What?"  
  
Vaughn shook his head sadly. "It hurt like hell. I know I shouldn't complain about anything...that's probably the least of what they can do to people. But still..."  
  
"Mike, you.you have every damn right to complain. You were tortured by people who have no conscience. You feel like you deserve it. I know you well enough to know that. But you didn't deserve it, Mike. No one deserves being treated like that. If I had known this was going to happen, I would have sacrificed everything to save you."  
  
Vaughn gave him a grateful look. "You did," he said. Weiss gave him a half-smile. "Hey, don't ever forget what I said. I mean every word of it."  
  
Vaughn nodded back. "I won't."  
  
Weiss looked down at his watch and groaned. "Damn it, I have to go."  
  
"Oh," Vaughn said disappointedly. "Uh, yeah, well, it is getting a little late."  
  
"Listen, we'll talk tomorrow, okay? Maybe if you're up to it, we'll go out and get drunk."  
  
Vaughn laughed. "Getting drunk isn't the solution to everything, Weiss."  
  
Weiss shrugged. "Hey, it's good enough for me."  
  
Vaughn shook his head, smiling.  
  
"You know, you should get home, too," Weiss suggested.  
  
"Nah, I'll be okay," Vaughn replied.  
  
"Are you sure? I'll drive you home, if you want."  
  
"No, yeah, I'll be fine."  
  
"Okay...well, I'll see you later, buddy," Weiss said as he stood up and walked to the door. He opened it, gave Vaughn a little wave, and exited from the room.  
  
Vaughn let out a big yawn and settled comfortably into his chair again. His shut his eyes and this time, his peaceful slumber was not interrupted.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
  
Sydney & Weiss  
  
  
  
She watched him from her car. She watched as he exited the CIA building and made his way toward his own ride. She hopped out of her seat and ran toward him.  
  
"Weiss!" she yelled.  
  
He stopped and looked at her in surprise. He waited until she came up to him and asked, "Sydney, what is it?"  
  
"Listen, Vaughn told me that you and my father got him out of Taipei."  
  
He nodded. "Yeah, we did."  
  
"I just wanted to tell you that, uh...I think that it was really brave of you to do that. I know that you two were...upset with each other, and I want you to know that I really respect you for doing what you did."  
  
"Sydney, Mike's my best friend, okay? I would risk my life for him any time he was in danger."  
  
"So have you talked to him at all today?"  
  
"Yeah, I just finished having a nice conversation with him up in his office."  
  
"He's still here?"  
  
"Yeah, I offered him a ride home, but he didn't want to leave."  
  
"Does he seem okay to you?"  
  
Weiss shook his head. "He's been through a rough time, Sydney. He's not going to magically be alright after two weeks of constant pain."  
  
"I know, it's just...I hate to see him so upset."  
  
"I do, too, but it's expected. We just have to everything we can to make him feel comfortable."  
  
"So Devlin has decided to keep him in the CIA?" she asked hopefully.  
  
"Yup, and he's being allowed to continue as your handler as well."  
  
Sydney smiled happily. "Really?"  
  
Weiss nodded.  
  
"Wow, that's great..."  
  
"Sydney," he interrupted, "I know you have feelings for each other."  
  
She stopped and looked at the agent before her.  
  
"I felt that Mike had crossed the line by getting emotionally attached to you, but I can see now...it's good for the both of you."  
  
Sydney raised her eyebrows at Weiss's confession.  
  
"I've been trying so hard to tear you two apart, but I've only succeeded in bringing you closer together. And maybe that's the way it should be. You guys work well as team because you care about each other. So I'm going to stop sticking my nose where it doesn't belong and leave your relationship between the two of you."  
  
Sydney smiled as she realized what he was trying to say. "Eric, I don't have any intention of putting Vaughn in danger. I know you're worried about him, but so am I. Trust me, I've been getting this lecture from my father and I learned that it's not a good idea the first time around."  
  
"You mean your fiancé?"  
  
Sydney's mouth twitched. "He's not my fiancé anymore. And I'm not going to make the same mistake again. Vaughn and I may have a friendship, and yes, I admit...I do have feelings for him, but I won't act upon them. You know I wouldn't."  
  
Eric nodded and sighed. "Well, I should go now," he said, tapping his car's roof.  
  
"Oh, yeah, sorry for stopping you," she said as she backed away a few steps.  
  
"It's not a problem. I'm actually kind of glad you did," he replied. He opened his car door and stepped into it. He started his car and looked up at Sydney. He smiled at her. "Don't worry, Sydney. He's strong, he'll pull through."  
  
She smiled back. "Thanks, Eric. Good night."  
  
"Good night."  
  
He pulled the door shut and pulled out of his parking space. Sydney watched as he drove away and looked up at the CIA building. There were only a few rooms with lights on and she spotted Vaughn's office as being one of them. She contemplated going up to talk to him, but decided to give him his space. She walked back to her car, climbed in, and drove home, looking forward to a nice night of peaceful sleep. 


	3. Charlie and His Angel

Gone and Back Again  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Alias. They belong to ABC and J.J. Abrams. I own only the characters that have not appeared on Alias and none of my storylines will be used in upcoming episodes.  
  
Spoilers: Maybe.  
  
A/N: Well, I've finally thought up how Weiss and Jack rescue Vaughn. Honestly, I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I first started writing this story. So in this chapter, we get more involved in the conversations of Dr. Jessica Kieran and Vaughn and we also get another conversation between Vaughn and Weiss (I love writing those!). Oh, and sorry the writing's so sloppy, I just thought this up and it's around four in the morning. And sorry for the dropped names!  
  
A/N #2: I've been getting complaints of the single paragraphs with dialogue in it and let me just say: it pisses me off as much as it does you. It's never done that to me before (if you do not believe me, you can just check out my other fics) and I really don't get why it's doing this. I always try to be grammatically correct, so I do hit the enter key every time a new person starts talking. I'm going to try a new method of writing this story and if it works, I will change the other chapters with the way you and I both prefer them to be. I apologize for the inconvenience.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
  
  
  
"Good afternoon, Agent Vaughn," Jessica Kieran greeted as he walked through the door.  
  
Vaughn smiled. "Hello, Dr. Kieran."  
  
"How are you doing today?"  
  
"I'm okay, I guess," he replied as he sat down on the sofa. It was his fifth meeting with Kieran and he was beginning to get used to the entire process.  
  
"You guess?" she asked curiously, peering at him over her new spectacles.  
  
He shrugged. "I don't know...I guess I'm just having a bad day today."  
  
"Hmm," she murmured to herself, writing something down on her notepad. He rolled his eyes. He hated when she did that, which was quite often. She looked up at him after she was finished jotting her notes and smiled.  
  
"Is there anything in particular you'd like to discuss today?" she asked politely. Vaughn resisted the urge to roll his eyes again. Every time he had met with her, she had asked the same question. He figured it would just be the first day or two that she would ask, but he had realized that she actually wanted to know if he had anything he wanted to concentrate on. But every time she asked, he always gave her the same answer: a shrug, a small shake of his head and a, "Not really."  
  
She nodded. "Well, I know this is going to be a very sensitive subject..." Vaughn furrowed his eyebrows at that. She continued, "but I thought we could talk more about your experience in Taipei." Vaughn closed his eyes for a moment. He knew the three minutes he had spoken about it wouldn't be enough for a psychiatrist, but it didn't change the fact that he didn't want to relive it.  
  
"Now, you've told me a little about what happened to you while you were in their possession, but I'm interested in how you escaped." Vaughn remained silent for a moment. He blinked back tears, although he didn't really know why he wanted to cry. He took in a deep breath and let it out. He gave her a short nod.  
  
"Well," he started, slowly, "this is what I can recall..."  
  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
FLASHBACK  
  
He was strapped to the table. Again. His entire body was aching all over and he could barely stand to move. He was barely conscious, and in his mind, he was willing himself to close his eyes, but for some reason, he felt that he shouldn't. He didn't know what the date was...he had stopped keeping track days ago.  
  
'Days,' he thought to himself, 'yeah, right. It feels like years.'  
  
It was true, though. You know when you're pleading with the clock to get to the time you're favorite show is on, but it takes forever because you want it? It was just like that.except completely different. Vaughn flinched as a new, sudden pain shot through his ribs. He bit his lip to keep himself from crying out. He shut his eyes and begged himself to just allow a moment of sleep. Of course, his body and mind refused to comply. He heard the metal door open and his eyes flew open in utter terror.  
  
'No, not again,' he yelled out in his mind. 'God, please, I can't take it anymore.'  
  
"Michael," a taunting voice singed. Vaughn's breathing began to quicken and he blinked back his tears. He hadn't given Irina any of the answers she wanted, and although she could have simply destroyed him and captured someone else, he knew that this woman took great joy in handing out pure pain to the son of one of her victims. To have realized this during a torture session had to be worse than death.  
  
"Michael, I know you're in pain," Irina said as she walked up next to him.  
  
"You don't miss a thing," he replied bitterly.  
  
She bent down. "You can end that pain right now," she whispered into his ear. "Just answer my questions."  
  
The temptation was almost more than he could bear. He couldn't remember ever wanting something more than getting out of this horrible nightmare. But he had to stay strong.  
  
"Kiss my ass, bitch," he retorted.  
  
She huffed and quickly stood up. She looked him over for a moment before making a fist and slamming his stomach. His eyes widened and he screamed out loud as his already broken ribs received more damage. He tried to pull his legs up, but the straps made that impossible. Tears freely rolled down his face now and he knew he wouldn't be able to get them to stop for at least an hour or two.  
  
"We're going to come back later," she said, calmly, "and give you some time to think."  
  
He watched her angrily as she and her lackeys walked out the door and he yelled out in frustration. The action caused his dry throat to burn and his sore ribs continued to throb. Again, he closed his eyes and tried his best to sleep. He surprised himself this time, however, because for a few precious moments, he was able to forget all that was around him and fall into a comfortable dreamland...  
  
The door opened again. Though, Vaughn kept his eyes closed this time. He didn't want to see her face again. He wanted to drown her voice out and stay in his newfound comfort zone. Then he felt the warm hand on his shoulder. It wasn't Irina, that much he knew, nor was it any of her emotionless and robotic followers. He slowly opened his eyes and found himself looking at...  
  
"Eric?" he asked, throatily.  
  
Weiss smiled. "Hey, buddy," he replied softly.  
  
"What.what's going on?"  
  
"We came to get you, Mike. We came to get you."  
  
"Took you long enough," Vaughn said, only half-joking.  
  
"Man, you look like crap."  
  
"Thanks a lot."  
  
"Agent Weiss, un-strap him and let's get him out of here," another voice ordered impatiently.  
  
Vaughn moved his gaze away from Eric and was shocked to see Jack Bristow standing in the doorway, looking out into the hall and standing guard. He looked back at Eric with a very confused expression.  
  
"Don't worry, Mike, everything will be alright," Weiss tried to comfort him. He quickly got to work at undoing all of the straps and he carefully helped Vaughn sit up. It took awhile, but as soon as he had done it, Weiss started on helping him stand. As soon as Vaughn's feet hit the ground, he stumbled. Eric reacted swiftly and helped him back up.  
  
"I can't walk, Eric," Vaughn told his friend. "I can't do it...not now."  
  
Eric nodded. "Okay, that's okay, Mike, I'll help you." He looked at Jack. "Can you help us out, here? Mike is too hurt to walk."  
  
Jack gave him a curt nod and walked over. He swung one of Vaughn's arms over his shoulder and put his arm around his torso as Eric did the same. The three of them quickly exited the room and as they carried on down the empty corridor, Vaughn saw the two men responsible for the pain he was experiencing sprawled out on the ground, unconscious. He couldn't help but feel happy at the small retribution they had been punished with, but he diverted his attention from that to concentrate on walking. He stared at his feet and watched as the tiles on the ground passed as, step-by-step, they came closer to the door. Suddenly, he heard shouting. He felt Jack's support leave him and he staggered. He looked up and saw three guards running in their direction and reaching for their guns.  
  
"Run!" Jack urged Weiss. Eric nodded and quickly readjusted his hold on Vaughn and ran toward the door, though he was upset that he had to cause his best friend to become more injured. They ran through the exit. Vaughn had expected to see blinding sunlight, but instead he was lucky enough to receive the night sky and moon. He looked straight ahead and made out a large, black van about twenty-five feet ahead. He inhaled a deep breath of air and gave it his all to forget his pain and run his hardest. He felt Eric's quick glances as he sped up and when they reached the van, he collapsed on the ground. Eric opened one of the car doors, bent down, helped Vaughn up, and cautiously eased him into the back seat. He shut the door and ran around the car, jumping into the driver's seat. He turned on the engine and raced toward the building they had just come out of. Vaughn didn't know what was going on because he refused to sit up and look out the window, but he could feel the tense vibe that Eric was exerting. They screeched to a stop and Vaughn heard the passenger door open and close and they took off again.  
  
Jack twisted his body to look at the bruised, beaten man behind him. "Agent Vaughn, are you alright?" he asked.  
  
"I'm sorry, Officer Bristow, but that's a stupid question," Weiss said, ignoring the glare Jack gave him.  
  
Jack looked back at Vaughn. "Don't worry, we're going to the airport and we're going to be on a flight to L.A. as soon as we get there."  
  
"Are we going to be in the cargo area?"  
  
"We're going to have to be, especially while you're in this condition."  
  
Vaughn gave a slight nod.  
  
"Get some rest. It will take at least forty minutes to get to the plane."  
  
'Rest,' Vaughn laughed to himself. 'That's the only thing I've been wanting since I've been in that damn room.'  
  
But he was only trying to be helpful. Vaughn could tell that Jack was concerned, though he didn't show it...at least not in the way Eric was. Vaughn yawned and found that a soft and safe "bed" was much more easier to fall asleep on than metal...  
  
END FLASHBACK  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
  
"So, that's basically all I can remember of it. The next thing I knew, I was awake in a CIA hospital with Agent Weiss in a chair next to me."  
  
Jessica gave him a sad and sympathetic nod. "It sounds horrible. I can only imagine how much worse it could have been."  
  
Vaughn didn't reply. He felt tears welling up again. He sniffled and wiped his eyes.  
  
"I'm sorry," he said quietly as he did so.  
  
"Don't be sorry, Agent Vaughn. Everybody cries. You don't have to be embarrassed. I've seen much more men cry than you'd think." She paused. "Well, the session is officially over now."  
  
Vaughn looked at his watch and raised his eyebrows. An hour and a half had gone by unusually quickly.  
  
"If you'd like to leave, you can, but by all means, Agent Vaughn...if you'd like to stay and talk more, you're completely welcome to," she offered.  
  
Vaughn considered this, but shook his head. "No, I think I'll leave, now. I don't think I can talk about this right now."  
  
She nodded in understanding. "Okay, that's fine. I'll see you tomorrow afternoon, Agent Vaughn."  
  
"Yeah, tomorrow afternoon," he echoed.  
  
"Have a good day."  
  
"You, too," he replied as he mindlessly stood up and left the office. He was walking back toward his own office when somebody grabbed his arm. He turned and found Weiss standing behind him.  
  
  
  
  
  
"Hey, Mike, why don't we..." Eric started. Seeing Vaughn's troubled expression, he stopped. "Mike, is something wrong?"  
  
Vaughn didn't answer. Eric's concern deepened.  
  
"Come on, Mike, you know you can tell me."  
  
"I have to go to my office," Vaughn said quietly. "I think I want to be alone."  
  
He pulled out of Eric's hold and slowly trudged back to his office and shut the door. Weiss thought about leaving him alone like he wanted, but decided against it and walked into the room.  
  
"Tell me what's wrong," he ordered, pulling up a chair.  
  
Vaughn shook his head. "I don't want to, Eric. Can you please just leave me alone?"  
  
"No, I can't just leave you alone," Weiss replied, slightly angered. "Don't you understand, Mike? You're my best friend, I'm not just going to forget about you when I know something's up. Now spit it out."  
  
"I told Kieran what I remembered when you and Jack got me out of Taipei," Vaughn spilled.  
  
Eric blinked. He hadn't expected to get Vaughn to say what was bothering him so easily.  
  
'But this isn't the same Michael Vaughn,' he reminded himself.  
  
"Oh," was all Eric could say.  
  
Vaughn laughed. "Yeah, oh," he joked sarcastically. "You know, I didn't think it would be hard to talk about that. I mean, shouldn't I be happy to talk about how I got out of that hellhole?"  
  
Eric thought about his answer before he replied. "I'd say that if you get upset when you talk about Taipei at all I wouldn't be surprised. You've taken quite a ride, Vaughn, you really have. I think it would be normal for you to be uneasy about talking about anything that has to do with what you've been through."  
  
Vaughn pondered this. "Yeah, well...maybe it's just that I'm uncomfortable talking about it with someone I've known for only a week."  
  
Eric nodded in agreement. "That's probably got something to do with it."  
  
Vaughn sighed. "What were you going to ask me to do before?"  
  
Eric raised an eyebrow, and then recognition washed over his face. "Oh, I was going to suggest that we go get wasted, but that's probably not a good idea right now."  
  
"It's only three o' clock," Vaughn laughed. "You have to wait until at least nine."  
  
Eric laughed with his friend. "That's a good point."  
  
"You know what I watched on TV last night?" Vaughn asked, out of the blue.  
  
"Uh," Eric started, surprised by the question, "no, I don't. What?"  
  
"Charlie's Angels," Vaughn replied.  
  
"Ohh," Eric smiled. "I love that movie."  
  
Vaughn smiled as well. "Yeah, you gotta love Drew Barrymore."  
  
"Actually, I prefer 'The Diaz,' myself," Weiss said.  
  
Vaughn cocked his head at him. "The Diaz?"  
  
"Hey, her cardboard cut-out lets me call her that," he said defensively.  
  
Vaughn rolled his eyes. "Anyway," he continued, "it kind of reminded me of my life."  
  
"That seems oddly true," Weiss agreed.  
  
"Yeah, it's kind of...kind of like I'm Charlie, except the people I work with know what I look like, and Sydney is Natalie, Dylan, and Alex all rolled into one."  
  
"Huh," Weiss grunted, realizing that he was right.  
  
"I don't know," Vaughn shrugged, "it just felt really familiar while I was watching it."  
  
"I'll bet," Weiss replied.  
  
"Yeah..." Vaughn trailed off. "Hey, we should get back to work before someone complains."  
  
"No doubt," Weiss said, standing up and stretching. "Hey, how about those beers tonight, huh?"  
  
Vaughn let out a small laugh. "I don't think so."  
  
"Oh, come on, you need to have a little fun in your life."  
  
Vaughn smiled at Eric's persistence. "Not tonight, Weiss, not tonight. I'm just not up for it."  
  
"Hey, your loss," Eric joked. "But I'll come by later, okay?"  
  
"Yeah, sure," Vaughn replied.  
  
"Alright, see you later," Eric said as he walked out the door.  
  
Vaughn sighed and just sat in his chair for a moment. Now that he thought about it, maybe he should have agreed to Weiss's proposition. Getting drunk actually sounded good now. 


	4. Unexpected

Gone and Back Again  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Alias. They belong to ABC and J.J. Abrams. I own only the characters that have not appeared on Alias and none of my storylines will be used in upcoming episodes.  
  
Spoilers: Maybe.  
  
A/N: Thank the good Lord that I was able to figure out how to separate my lines again. Seriously, the Fan Fiction document manager had never been so cruel to me before. Anyway, I apologize for the crap that I posted in the last chapter, but remember: it was four in the morning! This time, it's only one.yes, that's right, I'm an insomniac. That's not good for a teen. But whatever, it's still crap. Okay, so this chapter continues with more dropped names of celebrities because it's my newfound joy. And a cliffhanger! You gotta love those.  
  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
  
"Francie, I'm home," Sydney called as she walked through the door of her house. She pulled of her coat and walked into the living room, throwing it on a chair. She turned around and saw Francie staring at the TV.  
  
"What are you watching?" Sydney asked curiously. "Huh?" Francie asked, not removing her eyes from the screen. Sydney laughed and sat down next to her friend. She looked up at what Francie was so intent on watching and smiled widely.  
  
"Ooh," she said excitedly, "Bounce!"  
  
"God," Francie murmured aloud, "Ben Affleck is such so damn sexy."  
  
"You're telling me," Sydney agreed, joining Francie in losing her surroundings to stare at Ben.  
  
"Naked in the shower!" the girls squealed suddenly. They laughed together and Sydney shook her head.  
  
"Are you in the mood for some popcorn?" Sydney asked.  
  
"Oh, absolutely," Francie replied.  
  
"Good, get up and make it."  
  
"Excuse me?" Francie asked accusingly.  
  
"What, did you think I was going to leave my perfect view of Ben to make popcorn?"  
  
Francie rolled her eyes. "Well, if you aren't, then I won't."  
  
They heard the front door open and quickly twisted their heads to look over their shoulders. When they saw who it was, they turned their attention back to the movie.  
  
"Hey, what are you two doing?" Will asked, walking into the room.  
  
He was still bruised, but the cuts were fading. He and Sydney had spent an entire week trying to convince Francie that what had happened to him was nothing more than Will getting himself into a drunken rage and getting his ass kicked. She hadn't bought it at first, but after pushing for more information and not getting any, she had decided to stay satisfied with their explanation.  
  
"Make us some popcorn, Will," Sydney said to him.  
  
She and Francie giggled and gave each other a high-five. Will wrinkled his forehead and looked at what they were watching. Ben Affleck.  
  
"Oh," he said, realizing the reason behind the girls' lack of attention toward him. He decided to do them a favor and walked into the kitchen. He opened one of the drawers and pulled out a packet of popcorn, stuck it in the microwave, and waited for it to heat up.  
  
He thought about some of the events that had passed in the last couple of weeks. Of course, other than the torture, there was one thing that stood out: Michael Vaughn. Sydney had mentioned him more than once. She had told him about how he had offered to help with his rescue and how he had died after she had broken something called the Circumference. It had greatly confused Will, but he figured that Sydney was close to this man. But apparently, as Sydney had discovered the previous week, this Agent Vaughn had escaped. He had never seen Sydney so happy and so.glowing as he had when she was telling him about how Michael Vaughn was alive.  
  
It made him jealous, of course. After all, he was quite smitten with her. Her amazing dimples when she smiled that smile were enough to make him melt. But he knew that they could never have a romantic relationship. She didn't have those feelings he had for her. He'd accepted it, though. He was content just being her best friend. As long as she was in his life.  
  
The microwave beeped as it signaled that the popcorn was done. Will reached up to pull a large pot from one of the cabinets and walked over to the microwave. He pulled the steaming bag out and poured the tasteful snack into the bowl. He grabbed a few drinks from the refrigerator and balanced the four items in his arms as he walked back to the girls.  
  
"Here you go, ladies," he said as he set down the drinks and popcorn.  
  
"Thanks," they replied in unison, both immediately reaching for a handful of the popcorn.  
  
Will sighed and sat down on the couch with them. He did not feel like watching a drama starring Ben Affleck, but what he got out of it was getting to see Gwyneth Paltrow. He yawned and felt himself drifting off until he heard the phone ring. He snapped out of his "happy place" and laughed when Sydney and Francie groaned at being interrupted. Sydney stood up from her spot on the couch and walked over to the phone.  
  
"Hello?" she grumbled. She paused. "Sorry, you've got the wrong number."  
  
Will frowned. He remembered Sydney explaining to him about why they got so many calls at the house for 'Joey's Pizza.' Such a place didn't exist in L.A., as Will had suspected, and when she had finally told him that it was actually Agent Vaughn placing the calls as a secret way to organize a meeting, it had made much more sense.  
  
"That Joey's Pizza guy again?" Francie complained.  
  
Sydney gave her a small smile. "Uh-huh."  
  
"Sydney, I swear, we have to get our number changed or something because if I get another one of those calls, I will scream," she cried.  
  
Sydney laughed at her friend's mini-rant. "Uh, listen, I am going to...uh, you know, go for a walk."  
  
Francie gave her a confused look. "What? What about Ben and the movie?"  
  
"Don't worry, we'll go rent it later this week."  
  
"Sydney, the movie's done in like, forty minutes. I think your walk can wait that long." "Actually," Will spoke up, "I could use a walk myself."  
  
He gave Sydney a pointed look and she gave him a glare.  
  
"No, Will, I really don't think you need one right now," she said, a hint of anger in her tone.  
  
"Oh, I really do. You have no idea."  
  
He could tell she was trying her best not to lose it and he felt guilty for putting her on the spot like that. But he wanted to meet this guy she so deeply cared for.  
  
Francie rolled her eyes. "Fine, whatever.if you don't want to look at this fine man, I'll be okay doing it myself."  
  
Sydney sighed to herself. "Thanks, Francie. I promise, someday this week, we'll go to the video store and rent ourselves every Ben Affleck movie there."  
  
Francie smiled. "Sounds good to me."  
  
"Alright," Sydney smiled back. She looked at Will and frowned. "Let's go, Will."  
  
He quickly stood up and grabbed both of their jackets before following her out the door.  
  
He ran to keep up with her fast pace and handed her the coat. She took it and put it on, but didn't speak.  
  
"Listen, Sydney, I just wanted to."  
  
"You're not coming with me, if that's what you're thinking," she interrupted.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"I'm not permitted to bring you with me to these meetings."  
  
"Oh, come on, Sydney, I just."  
  
"Will, I'm not allowed to do it, okay? I could get in trouble.or worse, you or Vaughn could get in trouble."  
  
"Syd, nobody has to know that I was there," Will argued.  
  
Sydney shook her head. "You don't understand, Will, you."  
  
"No, Sydney, I think you're the one who doesn't understand," he said, halting.  
  
She stopped and turned to look at him. "How's that?"  
  
He hesitated for a moment, not knowing what to say. "Uh, well."  
  
She raised an eyebrow at him and he decided to try another method.  
  
"Sydney, you told me that this guy willingly volunteered to save my life. I just want to meet him.just once. Please?"  
  
Her expression softened. She bit her lip and look down at the ground. She groaned to herself and found herself nodding.  
  
"Fine, fine.but if anyone finds out about this, I guarantee it won't be pretty."  
  
"I just want to meet him," he insisted.  
  
"Okay," she relented, "let's go."  
  
  
  
  
  
Vaughn looked at his watch again. It had been fifteen minutes since he had called Sydney. This meeting wasn't to discuss a counter- mission. He had just wanted to talk to her. He didn't know what he wanted to talk about, exactly, just that he needed to see her and hear her voice. He was feeling quite tired and as he looked around the warehouse, he decided to rest his body and sat down on one of the large crates. He slowly swung his legs back and forth until he heard Sydney call his name. He quickly stood up, but cursed himself for it when he felt a sharp pang travel throughout his body. The pain was replaced by shock, however, when he saw Sydney's friend, Will, standing behind her. He gave her a questioning look and she shrugged apologetically.  
  
"Uh, Sydney, can I have a word with you?" he said, beckoning her over.  
  
She nodded and whispered something to Will before walking over.  
  
"This'll only take a minute," Vaughn told the reporter.  
  
He took Sydney by the arm and guided her a few feet away from the crates.  
  
"What is he doing here?" he demanded angrily.  
  
"I'm sorry, he wanted to come with me," she whispered.  
  
Vaughn groaned and put his arm to his forehead. "God, Sydney, you can't do this! You shouldn't have brought him here."  
  
"I know, I know, I'm sorry, Vaughn, but he...he said he wanted to meet you."  
  
Vaughn wrinkled his forehead in confusion. "Meet me? Why?"  
  
"Well, uh...see, I..." Sydney stammered.  
  
Vaughn raised an eyebrow at her, silently telling her to speed up her explanation.  
  
"Listen," she said finally, "after we came back from Taipei, I told him about you. About how you came with me to help save him and how you...uh, died. Remember when I met you at the warehouse last week?"  
  
Vaughn nodded.  
  
"And remember when Will called me?"  
  
He nodded again.  
  
"When I went to see him, I told him you were alive, and I guess now he wants to...I don't know, thank you or something."  
  
Vaughn sighed and glanced at Will. He was looking around the warehouse, obviously feeling out-of-place. Vaughn rolled his eyes and groaned again.  
  
"Fine, but Sydney, please, don't do this again, okay?"  
  
"I won't, Vaughn, I promise," she replied sincerely.  
  
He shook his head and they walked back to where Will was standing. Sydney smiled at both of the men and introduced them to one another.  
  
  
  
"Will, this is my handler, Agent Michael Vaughn, Vaughn, this is Will Tippin."  
  
"Hi," Will said, "you know, Sydney's told me a lot about you."  
  
"Is that right?" Vaughn asked.  
  
"Yeah...don't worry, though, all of it was good."  
  
Vaughn smiled. "That's good."  
  
An uncomfortable silence fell among the three.  
  
"Uh, so Vaughn," Sydney started, "you called me here, so...what's my counter-mission?"  
  
Vaughn shot a look at Will, who didn't seem confused by Sydney's question. Obviously Sydney had shared with him what handlers did and why she was always leaving the house to come here.  
  
"I didn't call you here to discuss a counter-mission," he replied, looking at the ground.  
  
She furrowed her brow, but a look of understanding came over here. "Oh..."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Vaughn, I..."  
  
"Don't worry about it, Sydney, it wasn't that important anyway."  
  
"Wait, did I miss something?" Will asked.  
  
Sydney and Vaughn looked up at him in surprise. They had almost forgotten he was there.  
  
"Not a thing," Sydney told him.  
  
More silence. Will finally worked up the courage to talk to Vaughn again.  
  
  
  
"Listen, man, Sydney told me that you came to Taipei to help me and I just wanted to say that I really appreciate that. You didn't even know me and you were willing to help her out."  
  
Vaughn nodded. "Yeah, well...I would do anything that would make Sydney happy."  
  
Sydney shifted her line of vision to her handler, but he didn't return her gaze.  
  
"I figured as much," Will agreed. "And I can see you definitely went through a lot."  
  
"I wouldn't hesitate to say the same about you."  
  
"I'm getting over it," he replied. "You know, I think Sydney really likes you."  
  
Sydney's eyes widened. She quickly whirled her head to look at Vaughn and saw his lips forming a small smile.  
  
"You know, I'm here!" she exclaimed.  
  
Will laughed. "Sorry, Syd, I didn't know saying that would get to you."  
  
"I...I mean, it doesn't, it just..." she started, becoming flustered.  
  
Will held up his hand, still laughing. "Whatever, Sydney. Listen, I'm going to wait outside. You two can talk....whatever it is you talk about." He turned to Vaughn. "It was nice to meet you."  
  
Vaughn nodded as they shook hands again. "It was nice to meet you, too."  
  
"Take care," Will said as he walked out of the warehouse.  
  
  
  
When he left, Vaughn gave Sydney an amused look.  
  
"Well," he commented, "that wasn't as bad as I thought it would be."  
  
She gave him a menacing look. "Oh, shut up."  
  
They smiled sweetly at each other.  
  
"I'm really sorry we didn't get to talk," she said, becoming serious.  
  
"It's okay," he shrugged. "It can wait."  
  
"It shouldn't have had to," she said softly, walking closer to him.  
  
One small move by either of them and their lips would meet. Instead, Sydney grabbed his hand.  
  
"Are you going to be alright?" she asked, examining his beautiful green pools.  
  
He was trying his hardest not to blink. "I think I will," he replied in a whisper.  
  
They stayed in that position for a moment, surrounded by silence, staring into each other's eyes. Neither of them wanted to look away and ruin the moment. Sydney began to lean closer to Vaughn's tempting lips, but he pulled back.  
  
"Sydney, we can't," he started.  
  
Her expression matched his: disappointed. He sighed and drooped his shoulders.  
  
"You shouldn't keep Will waiting anymore," he suggested.  
  
She bit her lip and looked away from him. "Uh, listen, next time you call me, I'll make sure to come alone and we can really have a talk, okay?"  
  
Vaughn forced himself to put on a sad smile. "I'll be counting on it."  
  
She nodded and returned an identical smile. "See you later," she said, before quickly turning and walking out of the warehouse.  
  
  
  
As he watched her go, thoughts instantly filled his head, as if someone had turned on a switch to start a flow of emotions. Regret, relief, temptation to go after her...and he would have, if his practical side hadn't convinced him otherwise. He looked up at the ceiling, mentally asking God what he was planning.  
  
Suddenly, his cell phone rang and he grabbed it from his pocket with false hope that it was Sydney.  
  
"Hello?" he asked.  
  
"Hello, Agent Vaughn," a female replied.  
  
"Uh, who is this?"  
  
"I'll give you one guess, Michael."  
  
His eyes widened as he placed the voice. "Irina." 


	5. The Need

Gone and Back Again  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Alias. They belong to ABC and J.J. Abrams. I own only the characters that have not appeared on Alias and none of my storylines will be used in upcoming episodes.  
  
Spoilers: Maybe.  
  
A/N: Weiss's opinions do not match my own. I love the movies he mentions. Oh, and this is re-uploaded because I realized I made a mistake regarding Irina's knowledge of Sydney going to Hawaii.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
  
  
  
"What do you want?"  
  
"Oh, now, Michael, there are plenty of things that I want..."  
  
"You know what I mean."  
  
"Yes, well, see now, that's the thing. You know what I want."  
  
"Refresh my memory."  
  
"I want answers, Michael. Answers to all the questions I've been asking myself."  
  
"If you want answers, I'm not the one you should be talking to."  
  
"Don't be silly, Michael. You're exactly who I want to be talking to. And I'd like to see you again."  
  
Vaughn froze. "What?"  
  
Irina chuckled lightly. "Yes, well, though my former husband was able to extract you from me the first time, he won't succeed again. I virtually guarantee it."  
  
"And how do you think that you're going to get me in your hold a second time?"  
  
"I happen to know that the CIA is sending Sydney on a mission to Hawaii. You're going to go with her."  
  
"And if I don't?"  
  
"I have your cell phone number, Michael. What makes you think I didn't go the extra mile and get your home address as well?"  
  
Vaughn closed in eyes for a moment and shivered. "Why can't you just leave me alone?"  
  
"Because I like to have fun. And trust me, Michael, causing terror in a young man's heart is quite enjoyable."  
  
"Well, then, come to my apartment. Kill me for all I care, but I sure as hell am not going to Hawaii."  
  
Irina sighed. "Well, then, maybe I'll pay your friend, Eric, a little visit..."  
  
Vaughn gasped. "How..."  
  
He was cut off. "I have friends in high places, Agent Vaughn. Now, give me what I need or your friend will pay the price."  
  
"You're not going to get away with any of this."  
  
"I beg to differ. Oh, and by the way...if I find out that Sydney knows a word of this conversation, I will have both Agent Weiss and, though it may be heartless, Sydney terminated."  
  
Vaughn paused. "You wouldn't kill your own daughter."  
  
"Try me."  
  
"Fine. I'll go on this little expedition. But don't expect to be getting anything out of it."  
  
"Very well. When you get to Oahu, you will be staying at the Sheraton hotel. I know when you will be arriving, so I will give you a call then. See you soon."  
  
Vaughn was about to reply when he heard the dial tone. He let out the breath he hadn't even realized he had been holding and cautiously looked around at his surroundings. He realized he was still in the warehouse, so he hopped into his car and drove home, knowing he wouldn't be getting any sleep that night.  
  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
  
"I have to talk to you, sir," Vaughn exclaimed to Devlin, rushing passed a curious Weiss.  
  
"Agent Vaughn, what is the meaning of this?" Devlin demanded as he was gently pushed along into his office.  
  
"Sir, this is extremely important and cannot wait."  
  
  
  
Weiss exchanged a look with Devlin's assistant. "What the hell's going on?" he asked.  
  
She shrugged and looked at the closed door. "I have no clue."  
  
Weiss walked up to the door, got on his knees, and put his ear to the door, hoping to hear some of the conversation.  
  
  
  
"Last night, I got a call from Irina Derevko," Vaughn explained.  
  
Devlin's eyebrows arched in surprise. "Irina Derevko?"  
  
"Yes, sir. She told me that I have to go to Hawaii, and she's going to kill Sydney and Eric if I don't, and if Sydney finds out she'll..."  
  
"Agent, agent, slow down! Start again."  
  
Vaughn took in a long, slow breath. "SD-6 will be sending Syd...Agent Bristow on a mission to Hawaii. Somehow, Irina found this out...well, actually, she thinks the CIA is sending her, but anyway, she wants me to go with her daughter."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"She wants me back in her custody."  
  
"That's absolutely impossible, Agent Vaughn. I refuse to send you back to that woman's..."  
  
"Sir, she knows where I live."  
  
"Come again?"  
  
"She knows where I live, she knows my number...hell, she even knows where Agent Weiss lives, and I'm sure that if I don't show up in Hawaii, she will have him killed."  
  
  
  
Outside of Devlin's door, Weiss heard his name associated with the word killed. His eyes widened to the size of a toad's and he shoved himself closer to the door.  
  
  
  
Devlin was silent. "Agent Vaughn, I can't let you risk your life on this."  
  
"Sir, if I don't, my best friend will die and his blood will be on my hands. That punishment would be worse than death and I will take a chance on my life to do this."  
  
Devlin sat back in his chair for a moment before replying, "Are you sure, agent?"  
  
"I've never been more sure in my life, sir."  
  
"Alright. We'll tell Agent Bristow the situation, and..."  
  
"Uh, sir, there's a problem with that. Derevko has ordered me not to tell Agent Bristow any of this, or there will most certainly be quite a bit of trouble."  
  
Devlin sighed in frustration and rubbed his temples.  
  
"What do you suggest, sir?"  
  
Devlin thought for a moment. "Tell her that I am sending you on this mission for back-up."  
  
"She won't believe it. Either that, or she won't have it."  
  
"Well, she'll just have to accept it, won't she? Tell her that under no circumstances is it debatable."  
  
"Yes, sir. Sir, I..."  
  
  
  
Suddenly, the door was pushed open and Weiss came tumbling in. Vaughn and Devlin both looked down at the man on the floor with questioning eyes. Weiss looked up and gave them a sheepish smile.  
  
"Sir," Weiss began, "I'd like to request to be sent on this mission as well."  
  
"What?" Vaughn asked incredulously. He turned to Devlin. "Sir, please, that is completely unnecessary!"  
  
"I can't say I disagree," Devlin said, slightly amused. "What would be the cause for you to go along, Agent Weiss?"  
  
Weiss stood up and brushed the lint off his suit. "Well, sir, uh, Agent Vaughn will need back-up himself. You know, I'm the back-up to Bristow's back-up and all that jazz?"  
  
"Hmm," Devlin murmured.  
  
"Sir, you wouldn't actually consider this, right?" Vaughn asked, looking from Devlin to Eric and back again.  
  
"Agent Vaughn, it doesn't sound like a very bad idea. After all, we wouldn't want a repeat of Taipei, would we? The CIA would want you back in L.A. safe and sound."  
  
"I...but, we...I mean..." Vaughn sputtered, not being able to come up with a suitable argument.  
  
"I understand that you don't want Agent Weiss to be put in danger, but I think it's too late for that," Devlin said. "Now, I think it's settled. We will get the two of you tickets to Hawaii immediately."  
  
Vaughn groaned in defeat and shot Weiss a dirty look.  
  
"Both of you are excused," Devlin told them, waving them out.  
  
  
  
Weiss followed Vaughn out the door and into his office.  
  
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Vaughn yelled after he shut his door.  
  
Eric had expected the outburst and calmly shrugged. "I'm not about to let you get hurt again, Michael."  
  
"I can handle it," Vaughn replied, brining his voice back down to its normal tone.  
  
"No, you can't. Not by yourself."  
  
Vaughn sighed and slumped down in his chair. He pulled out his gold coin and started twisting it in his hand. "I know," he said quietly.  
  
"Listen, Mike, this time it'll be different. We'll be ready for the bitch."  
  
Vaughn shook his head. "Nobody can be 'ready' for that woman. She doesn't care if a thousand FBI agents have surrounded her. She'll do everything in her power to kill as many of them as she can." He ran a hand through his spiky, dark blonde hair. "By the way, I forgot to thank you before for taking care of Donovan."  
  
Eric raised an eyebrow at the subject change. "Uh, it wasn't a problem."  
  
"I think he misses having you around, actually," Vaughn continued. "He's whining a lot when I'm home and just sits by the door, moping..."  
  
"Michael, stop, you're babbling," Eric interrupted.  
  
"Sorry. Eric...thanks for having my back through this."  
  
"Yeah, well, I'll be damned if it was any other way."  
  
The friends smiled at each other.  
  
"Hey," Vaughn said suddenly, jumping out of chair, "we'd better meet Sydney at the warehouse."  
  
"Oh, yeah, you're right. Let's get a move on."  
  
  
  
As soon as Sydney took a seat on the comfortable couch, the phone rang. She let out a mock sob and reached over to grab it.  
  
"What?" she mumbled.  
  
"Joey's Pizza."  
  
She sighed. "Damn you. Wrong number."  
  
  
  
She saw Vaughn's outline standing by his car and she stomped toward him. He turned when he heard her angry footsteps.  
  
"What's wrong? You sounded upset on the phone."  
  
Sydney rolled her eyes. "I was upset. I was just about to get a nice rest!"  
  
Vaughn laughed, but Sydney glared at him. She noticed someone sitting in Vaughn's car and backed away in surprise.  
  
"Who's that?" Sydney asked.  
  
Weiss stepped out of the car, carefully handling a yo-yo, and looked up at her for a second.  
  
"Hi, Sydney," he greeted.  
  
She sighed in relief. "What's going on?"  
  
"Well..." Vaughn started tentatively.  
  
Sydney raised her eyebrows. "Come on, hurry up. This obviously wasn't a social call."  
  
Vaughn gave her his adorable half-smile. "No, uh, listen, Sydney, you know your mission to Hawaii?"  
  
Sydney nodded.  
  
"Uh, well, Devlin is sending us, Agent Weiss and me, with you."  
  
Sydney blinked. "Why?"  
  
"I...well, see, uh..." Vaughn stammered.  
  
"What Michael's trying to say here is Devlin thinks you need back-up over there," Weiss said, shooting a small smile at a grateful Vaughn.  
  
She blinked again. "What's going to be so hard in Hawaii that I would need back-up?"  
  
Weiss and Vaughn looked at each other and quickly looked back at Sydney's accusing glare. Vaughn bit his lip and said the first that came to his mind.  
  
"The truth is, Devlin said I should take a vacation from work, and I agreed. When I found out that you were going to Hawaii for a mission, I asked Devlin if I could just help you out instead..." he trailed. With a poke from Weiss, he added, "and bring Weiss along, too."  
  
Sydney put on a doubtful expression. "And Devlin just....let you come with me on a mission...even after everything in Taipei."  
  
"Um...yes?" Vaughn asked meekly.  
  
Sydney rolled her eyes. "You're hiding something, I can tell. But I'll let it go, because I'll figure it out."  
  
"I don't have a doubt about that," Weiss muttered under his breath.  
  
"So what's the counter-mission?" Sydney asked.  
  
Vaughn grabbed a file from his car and handed it to her. "This is "Mana'olana," or in English, Hope, Kalani. She's going to be helping us out in Hawaii in getting this thing done."  
  
Sydney took the file from Vaughn and sifted through it, nodding as she went along.  
  
"When we land, we'll be met by one Pomaika'i Kahihikolo. He's the one who has the disks we want. The CIA has fake disks for you to make the switch. It's nothing you haven't done before."  
  
"And what will you two be doing?"  
  
Vaughn shrugged. "We'll do some distracting if its needed."  
  
  
  
  
  
"I feel really bad," Vaughn admitted as he drank his Coke and looked out the window.  
  
Weiss laughed and sipped his coffee. "It's not our fault Devlin booked us first class seats and Sydney's stuck in coach."  
  
Vaughn felt a smile creep across his face. "I wonder why we got these seats in the first place."  
  
Weiss shrugged. "Don't complain about it, man. It's first class, enjoy it."  
  
Vaughn nodded. "You're right. So what's the movie?"  
  
Weiss reached over and grabbed the airline magazine. He flipped to the movie listing section and rolled his eyes. "First one's Dude, Where's My Car?"  
  
Vaughn chuckled. "Hey, you know, that movie was pretty funny."  
  
"Yeah, to a twelve-year-old."  
  
"What's the other one?"  
  
"Uhhh...Donnie Darko?"  
  
They looked at each other and grinned. In unison, they said, "Drew Barrymore!"  
  
"Sounds good to me," Weiss commented, putting the magazine back in the seat pocket.  
  
"Me, too," Vaughn agreed, putting his feet up on the footrest.  
  
  
  
  
  
Upon landing on Oahu, Weiss and Vaughn were very excited. They grabbed their bags from the overhead compartment and walked off the plane. They hung around the gate for a while until they saw Sydney walk out with Dixon. She passed them, giving them only the tiniest of glances, and they continued after a beat later.  
  
Vaughn's phone rang and he looked at Weiss with an alarmed expression. He slowly reached for the phone and flipped it open.  
  
"He...hello?" he asked.  
  
"It was a mistake to bring him with you, Michael, my boy," Irina said.  
  
"It's not my fault. I didn't ask him to come with me," he replied, looking up at his friend.  
  
"If he gets in the way, I won't hesitate to kill him," she told him.  
  
Vaughn didn't reply.  
  
"Be very careful, Agent Vaughn. Your life-and your friend's life-depends on your ability to follow directions. I'll be in touch again soon."  
  
Dial Tone. 


	6. Welcome to Paradise

Gone and Back Again  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Alias. They belong to ABC and J.J. Abrams. I own only the characters that have not appeared on Alias and none of my storylines will be used in upcoming episodes.  
  
Spoilers: Maybe.  
  
A/N: For those of you who enjoy this story, I'm sorry I took so long to update. My muse took an extended vacation, due to the fact that I've just started school and it's really busy over there. I literally haven't had a moment's rest. It is currently one in the morning, which is usually my best time to write, though I don't know why. For those of you who don't enjoy this story, I apologize profusely and I hope you forgive me.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
  
  
  
"Aloha, welcome to Honolulu!" a very tanned woman greeted Vaughn and Weiss.  
  
They smiled at her. She walked closer to the men and put leis around their necks.  
  
"There," she said, "now, you can go home and tell your friends you got lei'd in Hawaii!"  
  
Vaughn and Weiss laughed at her joke and both shook her hand.  
  
"I'm Mana'olana Kalani," she said, loudly. She ushered them to the side and leaned toward them. In a quiet voice, she continued, "But you probably realized that already, didn't you?"  
  
Vaughn and Weiss nodded.  
  
"So you're agents Vaughn and Weiss...which one's which...oh, alright, thank you. Now, where is Agent Bristow?"  
  
"Well, she's probably picking up her bags by now," Vaughn replied, looking at his watch.  
  
"Okay, well, I have your hotel room numbers, so if I need to contact either of you for anything, I will. If you need to contact me, my cell phone number is 778-1652. Alright, well, all you need to do is grab a taxi to get yourselves to the Sheraton. Now, if you'll excuse me, good sirs, I will go look for Agent Bristow."  
  
She gave them a wide smile and said loudly, "Have a nice stay, gentlemen," before walking off down the long, marble floor.  
  
  
  
Vaughn and Weiss exchanged a look. They shrugged and made their way through the crowd to go outside. It took them a full twenty minutes before being able to flag a taxi, and by that time, the friends were exhausted. When they reached the hotel, they trudged up to the front desk, grabbed their room keys, and rode the elevator up to their neighboring rooms.  
  
"See you later, buddy," Weiss said as he entered his room.  
  
"Uh-huh," Vaughn answered, eyes drooping.  
  
  
  
Vaughn entered his hotel room and plopped down on the bed. Sydney was two floors down, and she was waiting for evening to come around so she could go to the nightly hotel luau to make the disc switch with Pomaika'i. He sighed. He wished he could tell Sydney the truth about why he was here. But he knew that if he told her that her mother was here on the same island, it would completely distract her from everything around her. That wasn't what they needed right now, and it certainly wouldn't help the CIA. Vaughn let out another sigh and switched on the TV.  
  
"...the season premiere of ER, September 22, here on..."  
  
Click.  
  
"...and I guarantee that the Miracle Blade 3000 will..."  
  
Click.  
  
"...stay tuned for Days of Our Lives, coming up next on the soap..."  
  
Click.  
  
"...watch as the antelope become intimate in this moment of..."  
  
  
  
He groaned and turned the television off. He turned his head to look out the sliding glass door and blinked. He stood up and walked outside, a smile spreading across his face. Before him was the beautiful, blue ocean waters of the Pacific Ocean. He breathed in the fresh air and let it out slowly. He lifted his arms as if he was flying and closed his eyes, taking in his wonderful surroundings. He frowned when the phone rang. He turned curtly and glared at the phone before running back inside to answer it.  
  
  
  
  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"So tell me," the woman began, "why are you really here?"  
  
Vaughn smirked. "You're not going to give up, are you?"  
  
"Of course not," Sydney replied, with a small chuckle. "But in all seriousness, Vaughn...can't you tell me what's going on?"  
  
Vaughn hesitated. He wanted to. Oh, how he wanted to. But no, he couldn't. He knew he couldn't. "Like I said, Sydney: I'm here on vacation and brought Eric with me."  
  
"Mm-hmm," Sydney said, unconvinced. "Listen, we never got to have that talk we were going to have, so maybe when you get back to L.A...."  
  
Vaughn smiled at the thought. "That'd be great, Sydney. I'll look forward to it."  
  
"Great."  
  
"I take it you met Hope?"  
  
"Yeah, I did. Dixon was suspicious of her, but I eventually convinced him that it was probably just a tradition for people who work at the airports in Hawaii to greet random people."  
  
"Good going. Now, remember, Pomaika'i Kahihikolo isn't stupid. He's very observant, so you're going to have to be very careful when you make the switch."  
  
Vaughn could practically see Sydney rolling her eyes.  
  
"I know, Vaughn, I know. I'm not stupid either. I've done things like this tons of times."  
  
"I'm very well aware of that, Sydney."  
  
"And don't you forget it."  
  
"I don't think I could if I wanted to."  
  
Sydney laughed. "Okay, well I really have to go now. Will I see you down there?"  
  
Vaughn thought for a moment. "Maybe, but I'm not sure. I'm actually really tired, so I might just dedicate the rest of my day to sleep."  
  
"That's good, too," Sydney agreed. "But I hope I see you. If I don't, then call me when you get back to L.A."  
  
"I will do that, Syd. Good luck."  
  
"Thanks, Vaughn. Bye."  
  
"Bye, Sydney."  
  
  
  
He felt a wave of sadness and disappointment when Sydney hung up the phone. He wanted to continue their conversation. There was something....different about it. Whether it was because they were in "paradise," or because they were actually able to communicate on the phone, he didn't know. But something about it made him feel...filled. The phone rang again.  
  
'Sydney!' he thought to himself, excitedly, though he knew it wasn't.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"You will go to the luau tonight at 7:00 p.m., then cross the street to the beach. Wait by the large, blue van in the parking lot. Someone will be there to retrieve you. Leave your friend at the hotel, or you will both suffer the consequences."  
  
The person hung up. Vaughn's voice caught in his throat. He needed to talk to Eric. 


	7. Round and Round

Gone and Back Again  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Alias. They belong to ABC and J.J. Abrams. I own only the characters that have not appeared on Alias and none of my storylines will be used in upcoming episodes.  
  
Spoilers: Maybe.  
  
A/N: I don't really have an author's note...I just wanted to say that I love Sark/David Anders. And Michael Vartan is and always will be my boy toy. What a sweetheart!  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Hello?" a groggy voice asked.  
  
"Eric, it's me," Vaughn whispered.  
  
"Huh...?"  
  
"What are you doing, sleeping?"  
  
"Mike?"  
  
"Yes, it's me, genius."  
  
Eric sat up in his bed. "Why are you whispering? Is something wrong?"  
  
"I just got a call."  
  
He rubbed his eyes as he spoke. "Derevko?"  
  
"No...Sark."  
  
Eric furrowed his eyebrows. "Sark? How do you know?"  
  
"Trust me, I know."  
  
"Well, what'd he say?"  
  
"He told me that I should meet him tonight, during the luau."  
  
"Then what are we wasting time for? Let's get ready..."  
  
"No, Eric, you have to stay here."  
  
"What?" he asked, incredulously.  
  
"Listen, if you come with me, I can guarantee something will happen that will most likely end up with both of us lying face down on the ground with a hole through our heads."  
  
"Thanks for the visual."  
  
"I'm being serious, Weiss."  
  
Eric sighed. "Mike, do you remember why I came with you in the first place? I'm supposed to be having your back."  
  
"And do you remember that I didn't ask you to come here?"  
  
"I'm not letting you do this alone."  
  
Vaughn was silent for a moment. He spoke kindly. "You know you're my best friend, Eric. You have my back even if you're not really there. I know that. If something happens to me, I know that you will do everything you can to get me out of it. Now, you can't do that if you're dead."  
  
"And you can't be rescued if you're dead."  
  
"That's true. But at least I know there'll be someone to take care of Donovan."  
  
"Vaughn, stop joking about this. It's not funny."  
  
Eric could see Vaughn bite his lip on the other end of the phone.  
  
"You're staying here, Weiss. That's that."  
  
He didn't reply. He was too busy running ideas through his head.  
  
"Eric? You still there?"  
  
"Yeah, I'm here."  
  
"You have to swear to me that you won't try to go after me."  
  
Hesitating, Eric replied, "Fine...I won't. But at least tell me where you're going to be."  
  
"I'm not sure. There's a place where I'm supposed to meet somebody, but I'm certain they're going to take me somewhere."  
  
"So you're really going to do this?"  
  
"I have to."  
  
"No, you really don't."  
  
"Yes, I do. If I don't, two of the three people I care about most in this world will get hurt. And I'm going to do all I can to prevent that."  
  
Eric shook his head. "You're crazy. You'll get yourself killed."  
  
"Oh, you're going to try to talk me out of it now? You're a little too late."  
  
"What am I supposed to tell Sydney when you don't show up at the luau?"  
  
"I talked to her a little while ago. I told her I might not make it."  
  
"You can say that again."  
  
"Come on, man, don't be like that."  
  
"Well, what do you expect, Vaughn? Did you think I would be happy about this? That I'd be like a little fairy, sprinkle my dust on you, and send you off? I'm upset about this."  
  
"I know, Weiss, I know. But there's no way around it."  
  
"How long do you think you'll be...detained?"  
  
There was silence from Vaughn's side of the phone.  
  
Eric spoke again. "Mike?"  
  
Silence.  
  
"Michael?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"You're really willing to risk your life on this? Get your ass tortured all over again? It's been a month, Mike. A month since you got out of Taipei. And you're going to throw away your freedom when you know what they'll do to you?"  
  
In his room, Vaughn was sitting out on the lanai. He was looking out at the water again. Water... It was the same water he had looked out at just about half an hour ago, but this time, rather than serene, it seemed threatening. Taipei. The Circumference. Water. Torture. Irina Derevko. They were all thoughts he'd rather not remember.  
  
"We don't know that they'll do it again."  
  
"That's bull, and you know it."  
  
"I'm not going to discuss this, Eric, alright? I'm going to do it, and there's nothing you can do that can stop me."  
  
"I'm going to call Devlin to get back-up, Vaughn. I'm not going to take any chances. Not when your life is on the line."  
  
Vaughn smirked. "You do that. But don't worry. I spent two weeks with these people. I know their methods."  
  
"Two weeks isn't that long, Vaughn."  
  
"It is if they're slapping you around like a rag doll."  
  
"Good point. But remember: you said Sark is in on this now, too. He's dangerous. Maybe even as dangerous as Derevko."  
  
"Oh, I doubt that. She's insane."  
  
"I wouldn't count insanity out for Sark, either."  
  
Vaughn sighed. It was getting darker and chillier outside. A light rain began to fall, and Vaughn stood up to go back in the warmth of his room. He shut the sliding door and began pacing the room.  
  
"Yeah, well, insanity's the last thing I need to think about right now."  
  
"I really think you should reconsider letting me go with you."  
  
"Absolutely not. And if you follow me, I will kick your ass, do you understand?"  
  
Weiss let out a small laugh. "Like you could take me."  
  
"Shut up." Vaughn took a look at his watch. 6:11 p.m. "Hey, I've got to get ready for this thing. Now, listen to me, if I don't get in contact with you in 24 hours or less, than something's wrong. So figure something out, got it?"  
  
"Thanks for the warning," Weiss replied, sarcastically. He smirked, but then became serious. "Be careful, Mike. I mean it."  
  
"I know. I will. Thanks."  
  
"Alright...I'll see you soon, right?"  
  
"Of course you will."  
  
"Okay. Talk to you in a few hours."  
  
"Yeah. Bye."  
  
"Bye."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Eric stared at the phone for a full minute before putting it back on the hook. He had to do something. He couldn't just sit around and wait for his best friend to get hurt. But there was something...something in Vaughn's tone that had made him back off. Maybe Vaughn was right. Maybe he should stay out of this mess all together. But that would be selfish. And so would going after him.  
  
He groaned in frustration and dropped his head back down on his pillow. He closed his eyes for a few minutes before realizing he wasn't going to be able to get any sleep for the rest of the night. He looked at his watch. 6:15. Maybe he should go down to the luau. Meeting a few Hawaiian girls would definitely divert his attention from Vaughn. He smiled to himself, but it faded.  
  
He grabbed his remote control and switched on the TV. Weiss furrowed his eyebrows while watching the black & white movie.  
  
"We'll always be best friends, you hear? Always! If you ever need me, I'll be there for you, no matter what!"  
  
Unbelievable. It was times like these when Weiss hated television. He bit his lip and looked at the phone. He hesitated before picking it up and dialing the number.  
  
It rang three times before the person he was trying to reach picked up.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Sydney? It's Weiss. There's something I need to tell you..." 


	8. I Spy

Gone and Back Again  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Alias. They belong to ABC and J.J. Abrams. I own only the characters that have not appeared on Alias and none of my storylines will be used in upcoming episodes.  
  
Spoilers: Maybe.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Can this wait, Weiss? I'm just about to leave. The luau starts in like, 10 minutes."  
  
"Uh, well...wait, I thought it started at seven?"  
  
"It does, but I found out that Kahihikolo is going to be there at 6:30, and it's better to get him early."  
  
"Oh...Sydney, I...."  
  
"Seriously, Weiss, can't you tell me later?"  
  
"This is pretty important."  
  
She sighed. "Fine, but can you go quickly? Dixon's going to wonder why I'm taking so long."  
  
"It's about Michael."  
  
"Vaughn? What about him?"  
  
"He's in trouble."  
  
  
  
  
  
As Weiss had expected, Sydney immediately went into full alarm mode.  
  
"Trouble? What? How? When? I mean, I just talked to him forty-five minutes ago!"  
  
"Well, technically, he's not in trouble yet," Weiss said.  
  
"What the hell are you talking about?"  
  
"Sydney, this...this is going to be hard for you to hear..."  
  
"Just get to the damn point!" she exclaimed.  
  
Weiss gulped. "Uh...it's your mother."  
  
He heard a faint intake of breath from her side of the phone.  
  
"My mother?"  
  
"She's on the island. And she wants Vaughn."  
  
"On...on the...this island? Are...are you sure?"  
  
"Yes. Vaughn got a call from her in L.A. That's why we're here. Your mother needs him for information."  
  
"I...I don't understand. He just decided to go back to her? So she could hurt him again?"  
  
Weiss winced as her words reflected his thoughts. "She threatened him, Sydney. With us."  
  
She stayed quiet for a moment before raging, "Why didn't anybody tell me?"  
  
"Listen, it's a long story, okay? And if we don't do something about this, Vaughn's going to end up dead."  
  
  
  
That woke her up.  
  
"What about the switch?" she asked.  
  
"Vaughn doesn't have to go anywhere until seven. You have time. Just go fast."  
  
"And what am I supposed to say to Dixon when I leave?"  
  
Weiss paused. "I don't know. Make something up. I'm going to try and stall Vaughn."  
  
He hung up on her before she could say anything. He jumped out of his bed, grabbed his wallet, and ran out of his room. His clothes were completely wrinkled, but what did he care? He barbarically pounded on Vaughn's door.  
  
"Vaughn?" he yelled, still pounding. "Vaughn, open up!"  
  
There was no answer.  
  
A door opened. It was across the hall. An elderly man poked his head out of the door. "Will you stop making that racket? I'm trying to take a nap!"  
  
"Get back in your room, sir, this is federal business," Weiss told him. It wasn't a lie. Not really.  
  
The man raised his eyebrows and quickly shut the door. Satisfied, Weiss turned back to Vaughn's door.  
  
"Michael, open this door before I kick it in!"  
  
There was still no reply.  
  
  
  
"Damn it," he cursed to himself. He ran to the elevators and pushed the down button. After waiting for about 30 seconds, he got fed up and slammed open the door to the stairwell. He ran furiously down the flights and flights of stairs until he reached the lobby. He entered through the door and ran to the front area of the hotel. He looked around for a moment, looking to catch a glimpse of anyone who even remotely looked like Vaughn before rushing to the front desk.  
  
"Have you...seen a guy...about 6 feet...blonde hair...green eyes?" Weiss asked a desk clerk, struggling to catch his breath.  
  
"Is he a guest in the hotel, sir?" she asked sweetly. Her nametag said Kellie. She looked like a Kellie.  
  
"Yes....yes, he is," Weiss replied.  
  
"What is his name?" she asked, positioning her fingers over her keyboard.  
  
"Vaughn. Michael Vaughn."  
  
She typed in the name and hit enter. "Would you like me to call him for you, sir?"  
  
He stared at her. "No! I want to know if you've seen him!"  
  
"No, sir, I haven't, but would you like me to check if he's in his room?"  
  
"No, I know he's not in his room! Damn it, what the hell is wrong with..."  
  
"Excuse me," he heard another woman say. It was Kellie's next-door clerk neighbor. Her name was Monica. She looked like a Monica. "Is there a problem here, sir?"  
  
"I don't want to stir up any trouble. I'm just looking for my friend. It's extremely important that I find him as soon as possible."  
  
"And what's his name?"  
  
Weiss hung his head and let out a disgruntled sigh.  
  
"Michael Vaughn," Kellie answered for him.  
  
"And you're looking for a room number?"  
  
"Look," Weiss started, rubbing his forehead, "I just want t know if you've seen him within the hour, okay?"  
  
"What does he look like?"  
  
"He about six feet tall. Dark blonde hair, green eyes..."  
  
"Handsome?"  
  
Weiss raised an eyebrow. "I guess."  
  
Monica pondered for a moment. Weiss silently willed her to hurry.  
  
"I think I might recall seeing someone who matches that description. If the person I'm thinking of is your friend, then he left just a few minutes or so before you came down."  
  
Weiss looked at her, eyes wide.  
  
"Sir? Sir, are you alright?"  
  
He blinked. "I...yes, I'm fine. Thank you for your help. And ma'am," he said, turning to Kellie, "I'm sorry if I was rude."  
  
She gave him a smile and shrugged it off. She looked at her watch. "You know, you seem as if you need to relax. The luau has gotten an early start, if you want to go out back and join the party."  
  
Weiss nodded mindlessly. "Thanks."  
  
  
  
He made his way out back to the luau. He needed to tell Sydney. She was not going to be happy. As he walked outside, he heard loud, ukulele music playing. People were already dancing. All around him were young couples laughing and feeding each other.  
  
It only took him a few minutes to find Sydney. She wasn't exactly hard to pick out of a crowed. She was standing a few feet away from where Dixon was seated. Her hair was flowing freely about her face, with a white flower tucked daintily behind her right ear. She was wearing a light blue, flower print bikini top and a long, purple sarong, which just touched the straps of her black flojos. She saw him, too, and made eye contact with him, if only for a second. She slowly made her way over to him and stopped when she reached the table he was standing at. Funny. He hadn't even realized there was a table there. She reached for a glass and poured herself a glass of punch.  
  
"Did you get him?" she asked.  
  
He kept his head down as he spoke. "No."  
  
"What?" she asked incredulously.  
  
"He left before I could even get to him. He must have gone while we were talking on the phone."  
  
He felted her heated glare on him and didn't dare to look up at her.  
  
"What are we supposed to do?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"You don't know where he went?"  
  
"Not a clue."  
  
They stood in silence.  
  
"Did you make the switch yet?"  
  
"I'm just about to," she replied, turning to face Dixon. She sighed and turned her comm. Link on. "Dixon, I'm ready to make the switch. Cough if you are, too."  
  
She kept her eyes on him while Dixon turned his head slightly off to the side, put his hand to his mouth, and let out a single, fake cough.  
  
"Copy. I'm going over." She turned back to Weiss, giving him a pointed look, before grabbing a few disks lying on the table and walking into the growing crowd. Weiss laughed to himself. He hadn't even noticed them.  
  
He watched as she gracefully glided toward Dixon's table. She pretended to trip, and in the process, managed to "accidentally" fall into Dixon's lap. She immediately stood up, apologized, giving Dixon and Kahihikolo an embarrassed smile, and walked away. Weiss furrowed his brow. He hadn't even seen the exchange take place. Damn, this girl was sly. No wonder Vaughn was always so preoccupied with her. Vaughn.  
  
Weiss groaned. He had to bring him up again, didn't he? He left the luau and traveled up the elevator, back to his room. He only thing that he could do now was wait. This was going to be hell. 


	9. You Have Two Messages

Gone and Back Again  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Alias. They belong to ABC and J.J. Abrams. I own only the characters that have not appeared on Alias and none of my storylines will be used in upcoming episodes.  
  
Spoilers: Maybe.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
  
The phone rang. Weiss awoke. He rubbed his eyes and groaned. What time was it? A look at the clock told him it was 10:43 p.m.  
  
  
  
10:43 p.m.?! When had he fallen asleep? He noticed a light blinking from his phone. He jogged his memory and realized that it was the hotel's signal that he had a message. Was it Vaughn? He frantically reached for the phone and dialed the front desk.  
  
  
  
"Sheraton Hotel, how may I help you?"  
  
Weiss rolled his eyes. "I need to check my messages."  
  
"What is your room number, sir?"  
  
"655," he replied.  
  
Fingers tapped on a keyboard as he waited. "Just a moment, sir."  
  
  
  
He heard the other end of the phone ring.  
  
"You have two messages," an electronic male's voice said. "Message one."  
  
"Hi, Weiss, it's Sydney. Listen, I've contacted Sloane and persuaded him to let me stay here for awhile longer. Dixon's leaving in about an hour. I told him that I need a break and Hawaii is the perfect place to take it. He seemed pretty satisfied with that. Anyway, call me when you heard from Vaughn, okay? Bye."  
  
Weiss noticed she had said 'when,' not 'if.'  
  
"Friday, 8:21 p.m. Message two."  
  
"Hello, Agent Weiss."  
  
Weiss's lips parted.  
  
"Yes, to confirm your thought, this is Mr. Sark. We have Agent Vaughn with us. He wanted to speak with you himself, but unfortunately, he is a bit...tied up. And Ms. Derevko would never allow it."  
  
At that very moment, a deafening scream sounded that made Weiss cringe.  
  
"Ah, yes, I believe that's him. But don't worry, Agent Weiss. We won't kill him, oh, no. He's far too valuable to us. Now, if you'll excuse me...they need me in the interrogation room."  
  
Weiss squeezed his eyes shut, trying to convince himself that this was all just a bad dream. It wasn't. But wait! He could trace the call! A smile started to spread across his face. He was just about to put the phone back on the hook when Sark started talking again.  
  
"Oh, and one more thing, Agent Weiss: if you're going to attempt to trace this number, you might as well quit while you're ahead. You'll find that it is quite impossible."  
  
"Friday, 9:17 p.m. End of messages."  
  
Things could not get worse. 


	10. The Arrival

Gone and Back Again  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Alias. They belong to ABC and J.J. Abrams. I own only the characters that have not appeared on Alias and none of my storylines will be used in upcoming episodes.  
  
Spoilers: Maybe.  
  
A/N: This chapter and the last were originally going to be put together. I felt that they are separate stories, and that they do not belong together. This chapter is in Vaughn's POV. Now, I've never done a fan fic in the first person before, and I'm quite sure this will be the first and last time, as I enjoy writing as a viewer, rather than the actual character.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
  
REWIND *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
I left my hotel room half an hour early. I figured that if I stayed, Weiss would have eventually come to my room to try and talk me out of leaving. Not that he could, of course. I took the elevator down to the lobby and walked toward the front exit. As I strolled along, trying to keep my emotions to a minimum, I took a glance at the front desk. One of the clerks flashed me a quick, polite smile. Her nametag said Monica.  
  
I reached the outside and inhaled the sweet-smelling air around me. The sun was going down, and it was beautiful. I walked around the hotel and to the back. True, I could've just gone out the back doors, but where's the fun in that? I walked through the crowd hotel workers rushing around, making the final preparations for the luau. I paused when I reached the road that separated the beach from me.  
  
I could back out of this whole thing right now. I could get help. Get back up. But no, it was too late. And too risky. It was now or never. I stepped onto the black pavement and went straight the beach's parking lot. I concentrated on the view in front of me because I knew that if I looked in any direction other than forward...I would lose my nerve.  
  
I could see it now. The van, that is. At the very end of the lot and in the very last stall. There it was. Standing tall in its blue glory. I walked toward it, and with every step came a new splash of fear. Finally, I reached the vehicle. The side door rolled open, and out he stepped.  
  
"Agent Vaughn. Thank you for arriving early. I do appreciate promptness."  
  
I rolled my eyes at that. "Let's just get this over with, Sark," I said curtly.  
  
"Mr. Sark," he corrected.  
  
"You know, I really don't give a damn."  
  
Sark sighed dramatically. "Agent Vaughn, do try to maintain a tame attitude. I'm sure you're aware that Ms. Derevko does not respond to snarking very well."  
  
I didn't reply.  
  
"Now, if you would..." he gestured to the van.  
  
I hesitated. But I sucked in a deep breath and stepped in. He slammed the door when he climbed behind me.  
  
"It's not a long ride, Agent Vaughn. Just about an hour or so. You're welcome to make yourself comfortable."  
  
I leaned against the window and stared out of it as the van started. As we passed the beautiful, sparkling ocean, tons of realizations come flying out me. If I didn't make it out of this...  
  
  
  
I would never see Sydney again. Sydney. I smiled a little as I repeated her name in my head. Sydney Bristow. Beautiful, brave, classy Sydney Bristow. And to think that I never got to tell her.  
  
Weiss. My best friend. My beer and pizza buddy. I'd never see him again, either. The knowledge of that was still not completely within my grasp.  
  
Donovan. I silently chuckled to myself as I thought of him. He was my other half. My...my...I guess I could call him my confidante. He was, in a way. He was always willing to listen, and never once did I heard a complaint from him. He was a good dog.  
  
Mom. My heart sank. What would they tell her? The truth? No. Of course not. I could picture the conversation:  
  
"I'm sorry, Mrs. Vaughn..." Devlin would say, seated on what Mom liked to call the 'guest couch.'  
  
"Miz," she would correct. "I am not married anymore, Mr. Devlin."  
  
"Of course," he would reply with a tight smile, "Ms. Vaughn, I'm sorry, but.....this is very hard for me to tell you..."  
  
"For God's sake man, get on with it," Mom would say.  
  
"Your son was killed."  
  
He'd blurt it out. I know he would.  
  
"Excuse me?" she'd demand. Mom never did catch things the first time.  
  
"Michael died bravely, Ms. Vaughn, I promise you that. He was shot...multiple times, while fighting the enemy. Just like William."  
  
Mom wouldn't say anything. That was a given. She'd just stare out Devlin with her terrified expression. She did the same thing when that other CIA agent came to tell us that Dad died.  
  
Just keep staring. Devlin would then begin to fell uncomfortable. Not only from Mom's stare, but also because he had the nerve to lie to this poor woman. She'd be alone. All alone. Alone and heartbroken.  
  
  
  
I felt a tear run down my cheek, but I quickly wiped it away. I couldn't think like that.  
  
"Agent Vaughn," Sark said.  
  
I turned my head and shot him a glare. "What?"  
  
"We've arrived." 


	11. Crash and Burn

**Gone and Back Again****  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Alias. They belong to ABC and J.J. Abrams. I own only the characters that have not appeared on Alias and none of my storylines will be used in upcoming episodes.  
  
Spoilers: Maybe.  
  
A/N: We're still in "rewind time," but we are now out of Vaughn's POV and in………well, I guess mine.**  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

** Vaughn looked up at he stepped out of the van. The were only a few more minutes until the sun would set completely, and he wanted to get his last look for what he figured would be a long while. He turned his head to look at the building the van had stopped in front of and wrinkled his forehead. It was a warehouse. How fitting. **

** Sark gave him a shove to move him along. Vaughn glared at him before following the two men in front of him: the driver and another man Vaughn suspected to be a guard. When they walked through the doors of the warehouse, Sark took the lead. He dismissed the other two men and led Vaughn to a room with a large, white door. Vaughn stared in awe around him, shocked at the immense size of the building. It looked so much smaller on the outside. **

** He looked just above the door. There was a number. Room 47. It figures. Sark pushed open the door to reveal what was a surprisingly dark and dirty room. **

** Seeing the flabbergasted look on Vaughn's face, Sark said to him, "Don't let the outer layer deceive you, Agent Vaughn. It will get you killed." **

** "Kiss my ass," Vaughn replied. **

** Sark smirked. "Why don't you step inside, Agent Vaughn? Let's get you acquainted." **

** Vaughn complied and walked through the door. He jumped slightly when Sark slammed the door. **

** "Ms. Derevko is aware that you are here, Agent Vaughn," Sark said, seating himself on a chair. "She will be joining us shortly………with her special, and most welcomed, guest." **

** "Welcomed guest?" **

** "Oh, for goodness' sake, are you going to stand until they arrive, Agent Vaughn?" he asked, slyly evading the question. He waved his hand toward the other side of the room where two stacks of folding chairs were leaning next to each other against the wall. One pile had four chairs, the others seven. "Grab a chair." **

** "Are you implying that I won't be standing when they do get here?" Vaughn demanded as he walked across the room with his chair. **

** Sark waited until Vaughn set the chair down before him and sat before smiling and saying, "As a matter of fact, I guarantee it." **

** Vaughn pursed his lips and glared at him. He shot his head to the left when he heard the door open. In walked Derevko, and someone Vaughn didn't recognize. **

** Irina gave him a big smile as she walked toward him. She stopped right before his sitting form. After looking over him a few times, she reached out her hand, as if to stroke his hair. Vaughn jerked away from her touch, and she frowned. Vaughn could have sworn he saw a look of hurt in her eyes, but whatever it had been was now replaced with anger. She quickly raised her hand, and gave him a hard, stinging slap. Vaughn sat shocked in his chair, holding his cheek. Irina snapped her fingers at the man she had come in with, and he rushed over, handing her handcuffs. He walked back to his place by the door while Irina the cuffs to Vaughn's wrists. **

** "Agent Vaughn," she spoke for the first time, "I'd like you to meet some very special." She gestured to the man. "This is Dr. Victor Slaughter. A very fitting name, mind you, Slaughter." **

**_Holy shit. Holy shit. Holy shit._ **

** Vaughn's mind was flooded with the possibilities. What the hell did she want this time? **

** "Did Daddy ever tell you about him, Michael?" **

** Vaughn's eyes blazed****. "_What?_" **

** Irina smirked. "No, I suppose not. You know, I keep forgetting that you were only a child when he………passed." She sighed. "Well, I guess I'll just have to tell you myself. You see, Victor and I have been friends and partners for many years. He acted as a double agent for KGB, and spent some very valuable time with your father." **

** Vaughn blinked. He looked at the so-called doctor, whose face was displaying about as much emotion as a brick wall. **

** "Yes, it's all adding up in you're head, Michael, and I know you're smart enough to figure out what happened next." **

** "What do you want with me?" **

** "Answers, Michael," she hissed, "answers! Haven't we been over this?" **

** Vaughn shook his head. "But you know that I won't give you what you want. There's got to be another reason that you went to all this trouble just to get me here." **

** Irina glanced at Slaughter. "What did I tell you, Victor? He's quite intelligent." She turned back to Vaughn. "But that's no surprise. Like father, like son. Isn't that right, Victor?" **

** The doctor grunted in reply. Vaughn remained silent and still. Be silent, be still. Be silent, be still. He was reminded of the time he had been the third wheel on one of Eric's dates to the movie, _She's All That_. The young lady had forced the two into the "chick flick," thus convincing Weiss that she wasn't "The One" for him. Another slap from Irina awoke him from the amusing memory. **

** "Answer me when I talk to you, damn it!" she exclaimed. **

** _Just get down to business, Michael._ **

** "What do you want to know?" he asked grimly. **

** Irina raised an eyebrow. "You're willing to comply?" **

** After a moment of hesitation, he replied. "Yes." **

** "Well, then, let's get to it." She made another gesture to Victor, and with a nod, he left the room. Sark sat in his chair, folding his arms and smiling smugly. Irina kneeled down so she was face-to-face with Vaughn.  
  
**

** "It's amazing how much the two of you are alike. The same deep, green eyes, the same defiance and determination………" she said softly, trailing off. **

** "Do _not_ talk about my father," Vaughn said angrily through clenched teeth. "I won't tell you that again." **

** "I think it's safe to say, Agent Vaughn," she said, standing straight, "that you are in no position to give me orders of any kind." **

** The door creaked, and Victor walked back in. This time, though, he had a try, which he wheeled in on a rolling metal table. He stood next to Irina, and picked up a scalpel. **

** "Victor is quite the fan of sharp object," Irina told Vaughn. "It's most likely that every time you see him, he'll be carrying one." She looked at Sark. "Sark, be a dear, and make the call." **

** Sark's face lit up, like a child opening his first Christmas present. He stood, pulled out his cell phone, and joined the growing crowd around Vaughn's chair. He dialed a number and held the phone to his hear, while Vaughn stared at the menacing scalpel. **

** "Hello, Agent Weiss." **

** Well, that caught Vaughn's attention. He snapped his head up to look at Sark. That damn smile was still there. **

**"Yes, to confirm your thought, this is Mr. Sark. We have Agent Vaughn with us. He wanted to speak with you himself, but unfortunately, he is a bit...tied up. And Ms. Derevko would never allow it." **

** Irina gave the young blonde a nod of approval. Then, she gave Victor's arm a small nudge. Without a word, he gripped the scalpel and stabbed it into Vaughn's chest. **

**_Sydney, Weiss, Donovan, CIA, Mom, Dad, Irina Derevko, Jack, Will Tippin, SD-6, Weiss, Dad, the warehouse, the pier, train station, Rambaldi, Devlin, Kendall, Sydney…_ **

** His screaming stopped. The pain did not. He looked down, and almost vomited. The scalpel was still there. He realized that Sark had finished his speech to Weiss, and was now looking at him with satisfaction. **

** "Let me tell you one thing, Michael," Irina said. "If you try to screw me over, this will happen again. Be very careful. Or you will crash and burn."**


	12. 1976

**Gone and Back Again  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Alias. They belong to ABC and J.J. Abrams. I own only the characters that have not appeared on Alias and none of my storylines will be used in upcoming episodes.  
  
**

**Spoilers: No.  
  
A/N: We're back to the present.**  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* 

"Hello?" 

"Where is he?" 

"Why, Agent Bristow…however did you manage to get this number?" 

"Don't play games with me, you son of a bitch. Where's Vaughn?" 

"You have a lot to learn, Agent Bristow. You definitely need to work on self-control. Have a good day, now." 

"No! Damn it, Sark, I--" 

Sydney turned to Weiss. "He hung up." 

"Damn it!" Weiss cursed, slamming his fist on the table. After he had received Sark's message, Weiss had called Sydney up to his room to formulate a plan to rescue Vaughn. Things weren't going well. 

Sydney sighed and put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, Weiss. We'll get him back." 

"I _know_ we're going to get him, Sydney. It's _how we're going to find him that worries me. What if he's already dead?" _

"He's _not dead," Sydney said firmly. "He's going to be fine." _

Vaughn looked up from his lap when he heard the door open. It had only been a few hours and already his face was a bloody mess. His chest was throbbing where Victor had stabbed him with the scalpel. He scowled when he saw who had entered. 

"Why the long face?" Sark smiled, turning some kind of device shaped like a small television remoter over in his hands. 

"What do you want now, you bastard?" 

Sark tilted his head. "I just want to have a little fun." He held the device up and pressed the single red button on it. Vaughn winced, but nothing happened. He glanced around in confusion. Sark rushed to Vaughn and took a key out of his pocket. He unlocked the handcuffs that restrained Vaughn to the chair and started to help the injured agent up. Vaughn pushed him and backed a few feet away, rubbing his wrists. Sark held up his hands. 

"Listen to me, Agent Vaughn. I'm trying to help you." 

"I don't understand." 

"I can't explain right now. That button I pushed shuts down all security cameras in this quadrant for exactly 200 seconds. You have to trust me!" 

"Why?" 

Sark took a few steps forward. "Because I'm your brother." 

Vaughn's eyes bulged as Sark inched closer. 

"Let's go!" Sark ordered. He ran out of the room, pulling Vaughn along with him. 

Vaughn ran hard. He ignored the immense pain he was experiencing and the thousands of thoughts running through his head and concentrated on just moving his legs. He heard the guards behind them. He was beginning to grow tired. He heard the gunshots. He saw Sark turn to aim and shoot. He felt the bullet skim his left shoulder. He fell and cried out. 

"Okay, if you were a crazy, evil British kid working for Irina Derevko, where would you take a prisoner?" 

Sydney glared at Weiss. "That's not funny." 

"I was being serious." 

Sydney groaned in frustration, her eyes threatening to burn holes through the map she had in front of her. "What are we going to do? We're getting nowhere!" 

Weiss remained silent. Suddenly, he exclaimed, "Africa!"  
"_What?" Sydney asked incredulously. _

"If _I was Sark, I would take my prisoners to Africa! I mean, who would think to look there?" _

Sydney had to smile. "Well, obviously you. That's a nice guess, Weiss, but I highly doubt it." 

Weiss slumped down in his seat. "Hey, Sydney, how did you get Sark's number? That was genius!" 

Sydney raised an eyebrow. "I have my ways," she said slyly. 

Weiss smirked, but his expression quickly became serious again. "Can I ask you something? About Vaughn?" 

"Uh…sure, I guess," she replied cautiously. 

"Are you in love with him?" 

Sark kneeled down next to Vaughn. "Are you alright?" he asked, doing a quick exam of Vaughn's wounded shoulder. 

Vaughn glared at the young blond. "Oh, yeah, I'm doing cartwheels." 

Sark rolled his eyes. "You'll be fine, it's just a flesh wound," he said, helping Vaughn to stand. Vaughn looked down the corridor they were standing in. Dead bodies were strewn across the floor. He shivered. 

"Agent Vaughn, we have to go. Agent Vaughn…Michael." 

Vaughn woke from his daze at the sound of his first name. He looked at Sark. 

"Michael, we have to get out of here." 

Vaughn nodded, and Sark rushed him out of the warehouse, surprisingly without any other interruptions. They hurried into the van they had arrived in and sped off. 

"Do I…I…what? I…what?" Sydney stammered. 

"It's a yes or no question, Sydney." 

"I…well…it's…it's none of your business!" she exclaimed. 

Weiss snorted. "That's what I thought." 

Sydney raised her eyebrows. "What? What's what you thought?" 

"You do." 

"I do? Wait…you're confusing me!" 

"You're in love with Mike, aren't you?" 

"I…I…" 

Weiss held up a hand. "Enough with the stammering. I get it." 

Sydney gaped at him, her jaw hanging open. 

Weiss laughed at her expression. "Relax, Sydney. Your secret's safe with me." 

"Gee, I feel so much better knowing that," she muttered, shaking her head. 

"Where are you taking me?" 

"A safe place." 

"Take me back to the Sheraton." 

"I will. Later. Right now, we have to get you cleaned up. I don't want your injuries to become infected." 

Vaughn paused. He opened his mouth to say something. 

"Yes, I really am your brother," Sark said, before Vaughn could ask. 

"I don't understand. How is that possible? How old are you?" 

"I am twenty-one," he replied. 

"But that would mean that you were born in 1981." 

"I'm glad you can do math." 

"My father died in 1976." 

Sark didn't reply. 

"Wait…are you saying--" 

"Your father didn't die in 1976, Agent Vaughn. It was a set-up." 

"A _set-up?" _

"Yes. Your father re-married in 1979 under the name Benyamin Sark in Galway, Ireland. I was born two years later. My mother died in 1984. I found out later that she was killed. My father…_our father was a target of another agency, of K-Directorate. I was only four when he left. He put me in the hands of Irina Derevko, and disappeared. When I was old enough, she told me everything. Why it had happened, how it had happened, __what had happened. She was like a mother to me." _

"And what about Dad?" 

"I haven't seen him since 1985. I don't know what happened to him." 

"Derevko never told you?" 

"No." 

"So…he…he was with the KGB? He was working with the Derevko the whole time?" 

"Yes." 

Vaughn let out a heavy sigh. He lowered his head and closed his eyes. His father had been a traitor. He was never a hero. He had betrayed his country, betrayed his family…betrayed him. A moment later, the van stopped. Vaughn looked out the window and found himself looking at a small, isolated, brown house. 

"Where are we?" he asked. 

"My safe house," Sark replied, getting out of the van. Vaughn followed suit and followed Sark up the brick steps to the quaint little home. 

"You have a safe house in Hawaii?" Vaughn asked. 

Sark turned to him, smiled, and pulled a little key out of his jacket pocket. "Of course I do." 

He unlocked the door and pushed it open. Vaughn followed him in. He gasped. Directly in front of him was a glass door with the beautiful, sparkling blue ocean behind it. He looked at Sark. 

"This is amazing." 

"It is, isn't it?" 

"Do you come here often?" 

"I haven't been here for a year and a half." 

"Who keeps it clean for you?" 

"People," Sark replied, not going further. He came up behind Vaughn with a chair. "Sit down. I'll be back with some bandages." 

Vaughn sat and looked around the house. Everything was so beautiful. There was a quiet tinkling as Sark's dolphin-shaped window chimes clinked amongst themselves. For the first time that day, he smiled. 

Sydney sighed. She tossed angry glances at Weiss, though they did no good. Weiss was sleeping. And snoring. Sydney tapped her index finger against her arm. She couldn't take it anymore. She pushed Weiss off his bed, causing him to yelp. He got up from the floor. 

"What the hell are you doing?" 

"You were snoring!"  
"So you _push me off my bed?" _

Sydney stood up. "Hey, you're the one who's sleeping while I'm trying to figure out how to get Vaughn back!" 

Weiss blinked. Sydney instantly regretted her comment. 

"Oh, that's great, Sydney, that's really great. Listen, Michael is my best friend. He's my _best friend! There's nothing more that I want right now than for him to be standing right here in this room!" _

"I know," Sydney said quietly. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that." 

"You're damn right you shouldn't have said that!" 

They both sighed. Weiss sat down on his bed, his back facing Sydney. "I just…I don't know what to do, Bristow. I'm really worried about him." 

Sydney walked around the bed and plopped down next to her agent friend. "I know. I'm worried, too." 

"It's just not fair. I mean, how much can the guy go through? It's barely been a month!" 

Sydney's eyes filled with tears. "And it's all my mother's fault." 

Weiss looked at her. She was looking at the ground. He lifted her chin. "Hey, don't beat yourself up about it, okay?" 

"I can't _not beat myself up about it, Weiss. I mean, she's my __mother. She's the one who's doing all this, and I know it's because of me! Vaughn has to suffer because of me!" _

"Sydney, don't make this about you. You aren't your mother. This is about _Vaughn. He's the one in trouble right now." _

She sniffled and nodded. "I know. I know, but I can't help thinking…what if she kills him?" 

"We had this talk already, remember? He's not going to die." 

She stood up in a rage. "But what if he _does?" she cried. "What if he dies, Weiss? What if he dies by himself in a little room, covered in bruises and cuts? He doesn't deserve that!" _

"You're right, Sydney, he doesn't," Weiss said calmly. "But we're going to get him out of there. We have to." 

"I'll never forgive myself if he doesn't come back." 

Weiss shook his head. "Neither will I, Sydney. Neither will I." 

"Lovely," Sark muttered as he cleaned Vaughn's stab wound. He had already bandaged Vaughn's shoulder and applied medication to the cuts and bruises on his face. The stab wound was particularly gruesome. 

Vaughn winced as Sark applied the burning liquid to the cut. 

"Stay still," Sark ordered. "It will only hurt more if you move." 

Vaughn held his breath, waiting for Sark to finish. 

"Okay, I'm going to wrap the bandage around your abdomen now. I'm telling you, it's not painless, but I need you to keep still so I can do this, alright?" 

Vaughn nodded, still holding his breath. He leaned forward, letting Sark wrap the bandage. A minute later, Sark sat back. 

"Alright, I'm all finished." 

Vaughn released his breath and breathed in the fresh air. "What now?" 

"Well, I suppose now we make a phone call to Ms. Bristow and Mr. Weiss."

"I don't even know where to begin," Sydney said, staring at the map. 

"Hell, if you don't know, I don't know. I've never even been here before." 

The phone rang. Sydney and Weiss exchanged a look. 

"Do you want me to pick it up?" 

"I don't know. Do you want to pick it up?" 

"I don't know. Do _you want to pick it up?" _

"I don't know. Do you want me to want you to pick it up?" 

"I don't know. Do you want me to want you to want me to pick it up?" 

"Never mind, I'll pick it up." 

"Yeah, okay, you pick it up." 

"Hello?" 

"Ah, Sydney, nice to hear your voice again." 

Sydney's eyes blazed. "What the hell do you want, you ass?" 

She glanced at Weiss, who raised his eyebrows in question. She shrugged. 

Sark chuckled. "You need to learn your manners. No need for chitchat right now, though. I have Agent Vaughn with me." 

"Where?" 

"That's not something you need to--" 

"Sark, I swear, if--" 

"You'll get him back, Agent Bristow, there's no need for you to worry about that. I'm not going to hurt him. Here, you can talk with him yourself." 

She heard a brief shuffle, then, "Sydney?" 

She started to fall back, but she grabbed onto the desk. "Vaughn?" 

Weiss widened his eyes. 

"Vaughn, are you okay?" 

"Well, I guess that depends on what your definition of 'okay' is." 

"God, Vaughn, where are you?" 

"I'm not exactly sure. Sark owns the place, though." 

"What?" 

"Listen, Syd, don't worry about me, Sark's not going to do anything to hurt me, I swear." 

"Vaughn, don't trust him, he's--" 

"Honestly, Sydney, I hate to think that you have so little faith in me." 

"Sark, if you harm one hair on his--" 

"I'm driving him back to the hotel. Meet us at the beach across the street in an hour." 

Then there was nothing but the ring tone. 

Sydney set the phone back on its hook and turned to Weiss. "Sark is bringing him back, Weiss." 

"Vaughn's alright?" 

"Well, he's alive. That's what matters." 

"When is Sark bringing him?" 

"He said to meet him in an hour at the beach across the street." 

"This is going to be the longest hour of my life." 

A/N: I hope you guys like it! And before people go nuts over Sark being Vaughn's brother, let me say one thing: things aren't always what they seem. 


End file.
